Tag: Serving pieces

A brief history of the Westmoreland Glass Company

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

The Westmoreland Glass Company was founded in 1889, and was based in Graceville, Pennsylvania (which is not too far from Greensburg, Pennsylvania).  The company was run by brothers George and Charles West, which were the majority shareholders of the company.

When the company opened, the main production was pressed glass tableware lines, mustard jars, and even candy containers.

The brothers ran the company until 1921, when George West went on to run his own company.

The company was then run by Charles West and his close friend Ira Brainard.  When this happened, the name of the company changed from Westmoreland Specialty Company to Westmoreland Glass Company.  Shortly after the change, Westmoreland started to produce cut glass and even high-quality hand decorated glass.

The 1940’s saw James H. Brainard (Ira’s relative) take over ownership of the company.  At this time, they went with mass produced milk glass and discontinued the hand decorated glass.

The company eventually went out of business in 1984, and the building was apparently converted into a storage facility.

There’s a very wide range of glassware that Westmoreland produced over the many years they were in business.  This can be very helpful for a collector that’s on a very strict budget, and they can find something to decorate with or collect for not much money.

What kinds of Westmoreland pieces that you have found that you treasure?

What are some odd utensils for the kitchen that you might run across?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Kitchen Items, Serving sets, Tips for the beginner, Victorian eraLeave a comment

It does not take long in the world of antiques and collectibles for you to run across a weird utensil for the kitchen.  Here are some of the oddities that you might run across:

Cake Breaker—this is a multi-pronged metal serving piece that looks like a large comb.  It was primarily marketed as a way to slice a delicate cake without putting any undue pressure on it.  Items like Angel Food Cake are one of the items that you would use this on.

Oyster Server—this has an edge that looks like a circular saw edge.  Items like fried oysters were extremely popular at the turn of the 20th century, and this popularity demanded that this type of food get its own server. The Oyster Server’s jagged flared edge helps to gather small, lightweight food.

Lemon Forks—these tiny forks were usually used for lemons that were served with seafood or tea. The tines are sharp and splayed outwards to grip the tough lemon rind.

Victorian Folding Fruit Knife—in the Victorian era, fruit was considered a luxury because shipping it was very hard if not impossible in some cases. Men carried these fruit pocket knives to display their economic stature.  These have a small blade that is the perfect length to cut fruit.

This is only a few of the odd utensils that you will run across for the kitchen.  What have you run across?

Great examples of glassware serving pieces that you can find

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Functional items, gift ideas, Glassware, Serving sets, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

When it comes to finding serving pieces for the table, you can find some great glassware items in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.  Tumblers, creamers and even plates are only a few examples that you can find.

One terrific example that you can find is this milk glass creamer.

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Not only is it made out of milk glass, this terrific 1930’s creamer also sports a silverplate handle and spout.  To make things even better, it has a hand painted and embossed floral motif on it.  You can see this creamer in my Etsy shop here.

Another great serving piece that you could find is this great nut dish.

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This great nut dish was made in the 1950’s by Westmoreland, and it sports a light blue satin mist color.  The dish also has an enameled floral motif on it, and it could also double as a candy dish.  You can see this dish in my Etsy shop here.

Cruets are perfect for your favorite salad dressing, and they can also be great to display on any table.  This pair would be perfect to do both.

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This pair was made by Hazel Atlas in the 1950’s, and they sport a frosted look with a hand painted floral motif on them.  You can see them in my Etsy shop here.

As a matter of fact, you can see all of the great glassware serving items in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check them out!

Grab yourself a cup and saucer, it’s tea time!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Functional items, gift ideas, Pottery, Serving sets, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

One of the areas that you can dive in and have a lot of fun collecting are cups and saucers.  They come in a wide variety of makers, sizes and even decoration.

Some of the materials that they could be made of are glassware, pottery or even fine china.  They could be decorated with just about anything–flowers, people and even outdoor scenes are just a small portion of what is out there.

Hocking Glass, MacBETH-Evans and even Royal Doulton are but a tiny portion of makers that have made cups and saucers, and there are many more.

One cup and saucer set that you could run across is this great Depression Glass example.

As you can see, it sports the CHERRY BLOSSOM pattern and is by the Jeanette Glass Company.  It was made from 1930 to 1939 and can be found in my Etsy shop here.

Hand painted examples are always fun for me, you will never find two that are exactly alike.  One cup and saucer set that fits in this area is this one by NAPCO Pottery.

This set features a yellow floral motif, and it dates to the 1950’s.  You can see it in my Etsy shop here.
Wedgewood also made several examples, and one such example is this terrific Mulberry handle less cup and saucer from the 1800’s.

It sports the WASHINGTON VASE pattern, and you can see it in my Etsy shop here.

There are quite a few ways that you can collect cups and saucers.Not only can you collect cups and saucers by the pattern that is on them or the manufacturer, you can also find examples that could go with a certain color combination that is in your house or apartment.

You can see all of the cups and saucers in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check them out!

What are some of the different types of plates that you will run across?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Glassware, Pottery, Serving sets, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

One of the first auctions that I attended, I found out that there are different types of plates when it comes to a set of dishes.  Here are some of the more popular ones that you will run across:

Dinner Plates—they are flat and usually round (there are other shapes like square out there).  Dinner plates range in size from 9 ¾ inches to 11 inches in diameter.

Salad Plate—these are also known as a side plate.  They are flat and usually round and range in size from 7 ¾ inches to 8 ¾ inches in diameter.

Bread & Butter Plate—these are also known as a dessert plate or even a cake plate.  Like salad plate, this type of plate is flat and usually round.  They range in size from 6 inches to 7 ¾ inches in diameter.

Luncheon Plate—they are often confused with the dinner or salad plates.  Luncheon plates are flat and usually round, ranges from 9” to 9 3/4” in diameter.

This is only a sample of all the different types of plates that you will run across.  What other types of plates have you seen?

What are some of the vintage serving pieces that I may not find on today’s table?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Serving sets, Tips for the beginner, Vocabulary Words2 Comments

Over the years, there are new types of serving dishes that are introduced, and then there are times when a certain piece from a dinner set for the table that may fall out of favor.  What are some of the pieces that have fallen out of favor over the years that may not be on the table of today?

Cheese dish—this is a covered dish meant to store and serve a whole piece of cheese.  The bottom of this piece is a little larger than a butter dish, and you may see a small cutting board in the place of this today.

Cream soup dish—this is a two-handled bowl that comes with its own saucer and is meant to serve bouillon, a soup or even consommé (a clear soup made from a rich stock).  This type of dish could be confused with a sugar dish without the lid.

Aspic servers–these are used to serve aspic, which is a clear jelly that is made from broth. Generally, aspic is used to accent the serving of meat, and it is a lot like cranberry sauce. The aspic server has a curved and sharp end for the cutting and serving of aspic.

This is only a small sampling of what you can find.  What have you run across?

A portrait plate made by two different companies? How’s that possible?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Pottery, Tips for the beginner, Victorian era, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

At a recent sale, I ran across a great portrait plate from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s.  It has a great motif on the front—a gorgeous lady with a gold trim near the edge that has harps and a floral motif.

Royal Vienna ZEH SCHERZER ZS And Co Porcelain Portrait Plate Artist Signed Gracioga

But when I picked it up and looked at the back, it had two different company marks on it.  The first reads ROYAL VIENNA and the other is Z. S. & Co Bavaria.

Royal Vienna ZEH SCHERZER ZS And Co Porcelain Portrait Plate Artist Signed Gracioga plate

This is pretty interesting—the two marks actually have a purpose.  The ROYAL VIENNA mark is for the hand painted decorations on the front of the plate.  The second mark stands for ZEH SCHERZER & Co., and they produced the ceramic plate.

The ceramic plate was produced and then sold to ROYAL VIENNA undecorated.  When ROYAL VIENNA received the plate, they then painted it with this terrific motif.

Sometimes the artist even signs the piece.  It could be anywhere really—I have seen the signature on both the front and the back of the piece.  This plate was signed on the back, and it was signed Gracioga.

You can see this terrific portrait plate in my Etsy shop here.  Have you ever run across anything like this?

Different forms of carnival glass

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, Jewelry, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Carnival glass originated as a glass called ‘Iridill’, produced beginning in 1908.  This was produced by the Fenton Art Glass Company, and the glass quickly caught on.  The 1920’s was the height of the production of carnival glass, and the decade saw huge volumes of glass being produced.

The prices were low enough that everyone could afford, and one of the nicknames that the glass was dubbed was ‘poor man’s Tiffany’.

The keys to its appeal was that it looked a lot like the more expensive blown iridescent glass by Tiffany and Loetz (and others, really).  When the 1950’s came around the name that it has now came about because Carnival glass was often gave away at carnivals.

Today, carnival glass is a fun area to dive into and start to collect.  There are many different forms that you can find.  One such item is something like this vase by Northwood.

northwood

The vase was made in the 1910’s and sports the FINE RIB pattern.  You can see this wonderful vase in my Etsy shop here.  Another form that was made was a plate, like this one by Fenton.

three-fruits

The plate has the THREE FRUITS pattern on it, and it was made during the height of popularity for carnival glass, the 1920’s.  You can see this plate in my Etsy shop here.

Carnival glass was also incorporated into fashion, one example is this bolo tie.

bolo-tie

The slide of the tie features the WINDMILL pattern, and it was made by the IMPERIAL glass company.  The tie was made in the 1930’s, and it would be a fun addition to any outfit!  You can see this bolo tie in my Etsy shop here.

You can see all of the different types of carnival glass in my Etsy shop here.  How many different forms of carnival glass have you run across?

Beat the July heat with a Christmas in July sale at Wisdom Lane Antiques!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Fenton, Jewelry, Sale at Wisdom Lane Antiques!, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Wisdom LaneLeave a comment

With this firecracker hot sale, you can get 10% off the purchase price of anything in my Etsy shop by using the coupon code JULYSALE10 (make sure that the coupon code is in all capital letters).  With this coupon code, you will get 10% off the purchase price of any item in my Etsy store.

Christmas is probably my favorite holiday out of all of them.  One of the reasons is that you get to wear festive jewelry, like this Christmas tree shaped pin.

Christmas Tree Pin With Multi Colored Rhinestones By ART

The 1960’s pin is by ART and can be seen in my Etsy store here.  Another item that you can wear is this terrific 1980’s dress with a peplum top.

1980s KR of NY Red And White Kiss Pattern Dress Peplum Top Size 5 to 6

This cool dress has a red and white kiss pattern to it and is by KR of NY, and you can see it in my Etsy store here.

Another item to wear when it gets cold outside is this wonderful (and very warm!) faux fur coat by Tissavel.

Tissavel For Country Pacer Brown Knee Length Faux Fur Coat Or Jacket Long Sleeve 1950s

This coat was made in the 1950’s and was made for Country Pacer.  You can see it in my Etsy store here.

Another reason that I love Christmas is to find someone that perfect gift.  One gift that you can give is this terrific 1980’s black formal dress by BETSY & ADAM.

1980s BETSY and ADAM Black Beaded Crinkle Knit See Through Sheer Top Cut Out Back Detail Knee Length Size 7

It would be perfect for any formal event, or even to wear to the Prom later in the year.  You can see this great dress in my Etsy store here.

The third reason that I love Christmas is that you get to display pieces that tie into the holidays very easily.  The first item is this great mix and match pitcher and tumblers set.

Mix And Match Lemonade Set Fenton Style Jamestown Green Pitcher With Stir Stick And 8 Polka Dot Tumblers

This set has a Fenton Jamestown Green pitcher and 8 polka dot tumblers, and it can be used to serve your favorite Holiday beverage.  You can see this great set in my Etsy store here.  Another item that can be displayed in your home that ties into Christmas is this wonderful ruby red basket by Fenton.

1970s Ruby Red Fenton Hobnail Basket With Handle And Embossed Fenton Mark On Bottom

This basket has the Hobnail pattern on it, and it could be used to hold potpourri or even your favorite centerpiece on your table.  You can see this basket in my Etsy store here.

Another item that could very easily be displayed in your home at Christmas is this terrific ornament for the Christmas tree.

1982 Strawberry Shortcake A SPECIAL TREAT Christmas Tree Ornament By Americard With The Original Box

This Strawberry Shortcake ornament is dated 1982 and is titled A SPECIAL TREAT.  The great thing about it is that the ornament has the original box with it, you can store it in the box after Christmas is over.  You can see the ornament in my Etsy store here (you can see some more ornaments in my eBay store here).

So beat the July heat with some cool savings in my Etsy store.  All of these and other sizzling deals can be seen here.

What a great way to warm up to the idea of early holiday shopping!

Ever see a Victorian Red Tomato Server?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Serving sets, Silverplate items, Victorian era, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

At a local flea market, I ran across a box of spoons not too long ago.  When I started looking through them, I found quite a few utensils that really got my interest.  The Victorian Era was pretty interesting when it came to the serving pieces that were made, and one of those serving pieces was in that box I bought.

That piece is a red tomato server and is marked WM ROGERS MFG ORIGINAL ROGERS.  The server has the LA FRANCE pattern and dates to the early 1900’s.

tomato server

Here’s the kicker—there are two different types of tomato servers.  There’s one for red tomatoes and for green.

There’s a big difference to the server, and it’s that the spade on the green tomato server is not perforated. The red tomatoes can be juicy, so the perforations lets the juice drip through.  Green tomatoes are not nearly as messy so you don’t have to worry as much about spilling tomato juice on the table cloth.

spade

A modern twist on this type of server is that you could use the green tomato server to serve fried green tomatoes.  You can see the red tomato server in my Etsy store here.

What kinds of Victorian serving pieces have you run across?