Ruby Stain Newsletter

Volume 3, Issue 2

This is the second newsletter this year. I may be able to get it to quarterly in another few years. Note that the newsletters essentially are editing and preparing a new edition of Heacock's Book #7. Send along pictures of patterns in your collection that are not in Book 7. Do you want a credit on the photo: "From the Collection of NNN."?

Heacock Patterns, New Information

WESTMORELAND'S NUMBER 15
MFR: Pioneer's Number 15
LOOK ALIKES: Cut Log - Enthol; Broken Column

Heacock, @ p.214 & 226, notes that ruby staining of this pattern has not been confirmed. A Pioneer's catalog page is presented as evidence that it may exist. In fact, it does exist but not in the predicted form. We recently found the illustrated sugar base. The notches are not stained as in the Pioneer's advertisement. The ad does not show the top stained.

Heacock gives a circa 1893 to 1905 for the YOP. Given that only the top is stained, this may be a later issue or staining. This is because glass staining is generally more elaborate in the 1890s and simpler in the 1910s. This effect is undoubtably caused by increasing labor rates. It cost more to stain every notch rather than just the top

ART
The covered compote shown as Figure 210 on page 33 of Heacock's Book #7 is, in my experience, not old. I bought my first one as old and when it came in the mail I quickly paged to Heacock. The compote had a very light stain but was similar to the one in the picture. Since that time, I have seen 10 to 15 of these light stained compotes. In my opinion, they are new, post WW II, and we will probably find that they were made by Indiana Glass or perhaps the residue of U. S. Glass.

CRYSTALINA
Heacock @ Page 97 interprets a trade publication as calling this pattern Autumn. I do not so read it. He also notes a U.S. Glass production of the pattern to 1907 based upon Revi. It appears that Heacock never saw a piece of ruby stained Crystalina basing his attribution to a 1892 catalog showing dark edged pieces of "No. 334 Crystalina Ware".

The Bredehoft's 1997 book on Hobbs shows a rubina plate but does not indicate the existence of ruby stained pieces.

New Patterns:

HOBB'S NUMBER 337
MFR: Hobbs, Brockunier & Co.
OMN: No. 337
YOP: 1890 to ?
REF: Neila & Tom Bredehoft ; Hobbs, Brockunier & Co. Glass; Collector Books; 1997; Page 122.

This is a short line pattern there being only the berry and water sets. Amber stained rims are most common and we can now confirm production in ruby stain and rubina.

The pattern was produced at the same time as Crystalina, Hobb's #334, and is similar. Given the same date of initial production, one would expect to see ruby stained and rubina #337.

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