North Jersey Depression Glass Club

Thursday, 27 October 2011

Dear Ghosts, Goblins, and (of course) Witches!

Having just returned from a 15 day vacation I have been plummeted into a

swirling vortex of falling leaves, already-barren trees, and the culmination of the World Series…. not to mention that Halloween is just around the proverbial corner! Somehow, when you leave Jersey in early October you return to what is tantamount to early winter conditions (Channel 7 is predicting up to 6” of snow on Saturday for the northwest corner of our state!). A word to the wise: Place your snow shovel next to the trick-or-treat tray!

In case you missed our October meeting, here are some of the highlights:

Gail Duchamp met a lady who manages a TV station in Summit, and she would like to advertise our show by having a club member(s) do a 15-minute presentation on DG. Both Ken and Rolf volunteered, so we are hoping it comes to fruition……Rich Oorthuys suggested a program on “How to Photograph Glass”… … Walter announced that our annual monetary donation would be heading to the Fenton Art Glass Club… President Antoinette restated that she will be presenting a mini talk each month on “a lesser glass company” that helped to produce some of the wonderful items that we all collect. (When people mention glass companies, we immediately think of Heisey, Cambridge, Fenton, Fostoria, etc.). In November Antoinette’s first foray will be into the Indiana Glass Co. (Anyone who would like to bring in 1 or 2 pieces of the proposed monthly company is welcome to do so.)

SHOW UPDATE

As most of you are already aware, our fall show takes place on November 18-19.

Kindly pick up some flyers and distribute them in your hometown or surrounding ones.

To reiterate the refreshment procedure for Friday night’s preview, all donated cakes, cookies, donuts, brownies, etc. should be “ready to serve” and placed on throwaway platters. Fruit and cheese and crackers, etc. are also acceptable, but they, too, must be ready to be served, so kindly arrange them as such. “Thanks” to all members who generously donate for each and every show.

After our usual break for refreshments (Great food! Such a variety! Yumsville!),

we called the 50/50, and $40 went directly to Kathy Mahaffey! A runner-up prize, a set of decorated Halloween goblets, went to Ann and Rich Oorthuys; Walter won the 3rd prize, which merely gave him his $5 back!

Ken Filippini, our resident Cambridge expert and past president of the National Cambridge Society, presented a program on Cambridge” nudes” stemware. From cordials to cocktails to wines and beyond, this stellar company made some of the best of the best when it came to glassware. Ken informed us that nude stems start as low as $65, but one in “Carmen red” usually goes for a much as $2000! (Yes, that’s EACH!) Of course, that’s b/c there are only 10 known worldwide! And, as one can imagine, the “odd ball” items are the hardest to find.

Summit Art Glass Co. (a much newer glass co.) had some of the nude stems, but they were unsuccessful in producing them b/c it takes a special process to achieve the end result: 3 men working a machine called the “Hokey Pokey” made the original Cambridge nude stems as one spun the foot, one the stem, and one the bowl.

The “chintz” pattern on Carmen red is “ridiculously rare” said Kenny. This led to a great (and almost unbelievable) story that ended the evening: Ken and a few other Cambridge collectors bid (as one group) $2000 each for 6 of these goblets when they came upon e-Bay, but he was outbid!! When the person who outbid him didn’t want to spend $2000 each for them, the seller called Kenny and offered him the deal. Kenny ended up meeting the seller in a supermarket parking lot! Armed with $10,000, Kenny closed the deal! Now that’s a true collector.

Our next meeting will take place on Wednesday, 2 November beginning as close to 7:30 as possible. The program for the evening will be “HOLIDAY COLLECTIBLES” presented by Ken Brino. Feel free to bring along a few of your outstanding holiday items. For a change of pace, we are having pizza during our break, so we only need 1 more person besides Gayle Babitz to bring in a “sweet” refreshment. Call Gail @ (973) 267-7511 if you can be that person.

MISSING FLAG!!!

Did anyone take home the American flag that we use for our Pledge of Allegiance? It has been missing since the September meeting.

HOLIDAY DINNER

If you are planning to attend our annual holiday dinner @ Portobello’s in Oakland on Friday evening, 2 December, Craig will begin collecting checks for $25 per person during this upcoming meeting. Rather than waiting and paying for the dinner at either the show or sending your check through the mail, it would be easier for all concerned to pay next week. REMEMBER: We will not be having another meeting before the dinner! It is a festive night of mouth-watering food, prizes galore, a 50/50, and what will probably be our last ever book raffle. As they used to say in the 50’s, “Be there or be square!”

DUES WERE ALREADY DUE!

If you haven’t done so yet, please pay your dues for this season….$15 single and $20 family. If you cannot attend the meeting, please send them to Craig Kratochvil @ 9 Joseph Lane, Ringwood, NJ 07436. I will soon be working on the new membership list and cannot include anyone who has not paid his/her dues by the end of November.

Thanks a bunch!

My next newsletter will be written some time after Christmas to announce our January 2012 meeting, so please do not look for a letter next month. See you all at the next meeting, at our glass show, and, of course, the dinner. “HAPPY HAUNTING!”

JUNE LEE

Thursday, 19 May, 2011

Hi Everyone!

What is the answer to the old and often-asked question: “If April showers bring May flowers, what does May bring?” To put it bluntly:
MORE RAIN!!! It has been such a quasi-miserable month that many of us have probably forgotten that the summer opener, Memorial Day Weekend, is less than 10 days away. Soon we will all be soaking up the rays, attending barbecues, and enjoying the sizzling temps that a NJ summer can send our way; our memories of a soggy spring will fade as quickly as a September tan.
If you did not attend our May meeting earlier in the month, here are some of the highlights: Craig, our treasurer, was on a business trip and absent from the evening, so we did not have a full report; we have approx. $8500 in our coffers…..Walter mentioned that the yearly museum/glass donation would go to either Duncan Miller or Imperial…..Ken said” other ideas” in lieu of a fall bus trip had been discussed at a recent committee meeting; these ideas will be further discussed over the summer….Paul said that he and the rest of the show committee would work on ideas that will be more profitable for our next show; this includes working on our club website….the girls in charge of hospitality asked everyone to look for tablecloths for our refreshment table.

The carnival glass program, presented by Ann and Rich Oorthuys,
Taught us that the Fenton Glass Co. of Williamstown, WV, first produced this famous type of glass that is really pressed PRESSED glass that has been iridized. Fenton got their ideas from Tiffany, but their glass was very expensive; Fenton soon came up with a cheaper way to produce it, calling the result the” poor man’s Tiffany”. Marigold was the 1st carnival color; today it is still 70% of their line. Ladies of that era (1908-1920 was the “heyday” of carnival) liked this color b/c it brightened up their dark post-Victorian homes. When sales began to dip after 1922, Fenton packed the glass in barrels and sold them to passing carnivals; hence the name “carnival glass”.

Old carnival is never colored on the bottom; newer pieces, on the other hand, are. The difference in iridizing changes the price up or down.
Over the years, 2000 patterns were produced, but unfortunately, only 1000 are recognizable. Ann and Rich found 2 rare vases at an estate sale in Warwick, NY and one at an antique shop on LBI; this latter vase, for which they paid $20, sold on e-Bay for $638. Rich suggested that TUMBLERS are a good way to start a collection b/c they are both affordable and plentiful, but they both suggested that collectors be cautious when buying RED carnival, for it is the most expensive color. “Thanks” to the Oorthuys for a great program!

JUNE COVERED DISH DINNER

Our annual covered dish dinner, which is traditionally held at the last meeting before we break for the summer, will take place on Wednesday evening, 1 June ( my fave month!) commencing @ 7 P.M. ( not 7:30).

(1) Each person who is attending will kindly bring along a dish in one of the following categories: appetizer, salad, entrée, or dessert. At the present time we have these numbers: 0 appetizers (there is a limit of 6 in this category); 4 salads inc. pasta, macaroni & tuna, Middle Eastern, and fruit (2 more are needed); 6 entrees inc. lemon chicken, sausage & peppers, ham, roast beef (provided by the club), kielbasa, and a corn casserole (2-3 more needed); 1 dessert which is a cobbler( 5 more needed).

Please, no repeats. (that’s why I listed everything). Call Lori Kratochvil or Gail Duchamp ASAP and tell them what you are bringing.
Beverages will be provided by the club.

Festivities for the evening will include a 50/50 with all monies going to the winners, a brown bag auction,(***directions to follow) as well as a silent auction, so bring extra cash!! Tickets will be sold for the silent auction, which will include prizes and gift certificates. As for the brown bag, here is how it works: Find a Shop-Rite bag. Fill it with an item (glass, china, or otherwise) worth at LEAST $10(more like $15). Decorate the bag. Easy!

It has been fun bringing you “all the news that’s fit to print” (or unfit!)
during this 2010-2011 season, and I hope to be back with the next newsletter in late August . (We will alert everyone if the Sept. date is changed b/c of the Labor Day Weekend.) In the meantime, have a relaxing, fun-filled 90 days, better known as”SUMMER”!!!

See you soon,
June

THE APRIL NEWSLETTER

Hi, Everyone!

A FOOL and his money are soon parted….There’s no FOOL like an old FOOL…
Everyone enjoys a bit of TomFOOLery now and then…FOOLS rush in where angels fear to tread…. (and my husband’s favorite) My mama didn’t raise no FOOL….
BEWARE: April Fool’s Day is fast approaching, so don’t be caught napping!

If you did not make March’s meeting, which was attended by 36 members, you not only missed some important info but a great presentation as well. Here are all the major highlights for your reading pleasure:

Craig reported that there was $6696 in our treasury. Many show expenses were already covered, but we still had $1800 outstanding for the show hall rental. On the positive side, he had not as yet deposited all the monies that came in for the booth rentals.

One of our main discussions for the evening centered on a future club bus trip that will be taken in the early fall. Several members had researched places to visit some of which included the Moravian Museum and Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, PA, the MMOA in NYC which has a traveling exhibit until August, The Historical Society Museum of NJ in Trenton, the Dupont, Delaware Wintertour, the Brooklyn Museum, and Wheaton Village to be combined w/the Columbus, NJ Flea. More discussion this month.

The “Whats-it” table (which, by the way, garnered its name b/c people in the early days of the club used to refer to glass that they could not identify as “what is it?”…later shortened to “what’s it”…thought you’d like to know!) with ID’s by Walter and Tom included a Pilgrim mushroom, a Fostoria handled server, a Cambridge crystal flower frog, a Cambridge footed divided relish, and a red Fostoria “Lafayette” patterned plate.

During the program segment of the evening, Roger Loucks morphed into Ralph Kramden for an engaging 45-minute presentation on transportation collectibles with a heavy emphasis on buses. When Roger was a young boy, he and his family lived in West Orange; since his mom didn’t drive, they always took the bus, especially to Newark. And to make it even sweeter, buses would end their routes near his house! When a nearby luncheonette that was often frequented by bus drivers closed for a 2 week vacation, he and his brother opened a stand and sold soda and other items to the drivers; this, in fact, was how they got to know all the drivers.

It wasn’t until 1989, though, that he began his collecting phase at the Edison Antique Show. Bored with being there, he began looking in the cases and remarked that he remembered this and that as a kid. Thus began a 20plus years’ worth of an amazing hobby that includes models, sinage, badges, postcards, lighters, china, manuals, and much more! “It’s an expensive hobby is you want the premiere stuff, “Roger quipped. Most of the evening was divided into 2 parts: the formation of the Greyhound Bus Lines in l913 and showing us some of his most prized items which included an old fare box, a 1940’s Trailways brochure holder, a Greyhound bus driver’s hat, a large “Golden Eagle” bus emblem, a Greyhound clock from one of their bus terminals, Shenango china used in their terminal restaurants, an unopened pack of GH playing cards, a big Public Service bus emblem, and the most astounding item: a HUGE SIDE of a GH bus!! “Smart people grabbed pieces of buses that were being scrapped so idiots like me could buy them!” he said with a knowing laugh. He admitted “e-Bay is his savior” these days b/c he still enjoys collecting. “The only thing I’m an expert in is spending money, but I don’t buy for investment; I buy for pleasure,” he concluded.

APRIL MEETING
Our next meeting will be AFTER THE SHOW and will take place on Wednesday,
6 April commencing at 7:30. The program for the evening will be a presentation on BLENKO GLASS by Peter Wade who got his start when he liked the colors of Blenko but got them confused w/those of Pilgrim glass, so he started collecting both! He has managed to collect 50 pieces since he began his quest 5 years ago. He will teach us how to ID pieces and discuss his most interesting items.

I’m sorry, but I do not have the refreshment list, so if you signed up, you know the drill! Want to donate?? Call Lori Kratochvil or Gail Ducahmp.

SPRING GLASS SHOW
Our spring glass show is fast approaching! Dealers are busy packing for the upcoming weekend and hoping that this show is as successful as the fall one was. Once again, the dates are this Friday, 1 April (6-10P.M.) and Saturday, 2 April (10-4). All club members are reminded to bring baked goods to the church hall by 5 P.M. Friday; dealers doing the show are requested, if possible, to donate as well in order to take the burden off the remaining club members who are not doing the show. If you cannot donate, perhaps you can spare an hour helping at the door or in the kitchen.

Here’s to a great show! Here’s to spring, albeit a bit wintry! Here’s to us!
June Lee

Wednesday, 26 January 2011

Dear DG Valentines,

WHAT IS LOVE? To quote the 60’s song with that title, “It’s 5 feet of Heaven in a ponytail.” That may not be the definition that suits everyone, so if you will allow me, I’d like to take a few liberties (since February is synonymous with Valentine’s Day) and talk about “love” using song titles with that magic word in the title. (song titles in caps followed by year it was popular)

Ah…..YOUNG LOVE! (’57) Remember when you were a TEENAGER IN LOVE (’59)?
Even though your parents said it was only A TEENAGE CRUSH (’57), you proclaimed that you had just finished reading THE BOOK OF LOVE (’58) and that he/she was your
DREAM LOVER (’59). The two of you would spend hours writing LOVE LETTERS IN THE SAND (’57) near THE SEA OF LOVE (’59). Before the waves washed away your precious sentiments, you’d hurry to read the words that you had written: ”I CAN’T
STOP LOVING YOU(’62) and “I’LL NEVER FAL IN LOVE AGAIN”(’69)

However, APRIL LOVE (’57) doesn’t always last. When one of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE is broken and your TRUE LOVE (’56) can no longer say WE GOT LOVE (’59)well….it’s BYE,BYE, LOVE (’57)

You were sad. You couldn’t eat or sleep. After all, people in the know always advertised that LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING (’55). What was wrong with you??!!
A few misery-filled weeks after telling your friends that they CAN’T BUY ME LOVE(’64), a cute looking chick/guy just happened to pull up next to you in their ’58 Chevy convertible, and you secretly remarked,”UH OH, I’M FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN!” (’60)
As a brief P.S. to all this nonsense, if you were not a young teen during the time these songs were popular, I apologize, but “I gotta’ go with what I know!”

Now on to the more serious business at hand…

More than 35 DG members braved the cold to attend the first meeting of 2011, There was much conviviality present as members bought and sold glass at a table that is set up at each meeting, conversed with people that had not seen in a while(Rich Tritschler/Bob Bracken), or sipped the warming soup that was provided as part of the hospitality table. Although the fall show was discussed in more depth at the Christmas party, Paul once again remarked that overall it was a great success financially as well as for the dealers. After paying the tab @ Portobello’s ($1800), the treasury still has close to $8000. Contracts for the spring show (April 1-2) have already gone out via e-mail/ snail mail. That familiar chant of “Trip! Trip!” was back. Several ideas were discussed including a return to the Corning Museum or a visit to the Westchester Glass Show in April. I brought up the fact that the bus co. we hire does not allow its drivers to be out more than 12 hours, so we are looking for places with a radius of 2 to 2 ½ hours. Many members said they would check into possible destinations and bring back info for the February meeting.

Chris Madison, who is a twice-yearly participant in the Birchwood Manor Antique Show in Whippany, provided members with free passes. Thanks, Chris!

Bob Bracken’s 91-year-old dad is doing much better after suffering a stroke; he thanked all for their concern. Adele is on the mend after a recent bout with pneumonia.

After Walter and Tom talked about the Whats-it? table (items included both a Heisey “Orchid” and a “Moondrops” piece), we broke for an especially well-laden refreshment table filled with fruit, cheese and crackers, soup and bread, and desserts. If you are one of the kind individuals who signed up for February’s meeting ( I do not have a list), think along the lines of something hot ( we have an oven), fruit, bagels, cheese, etc. for a nice change. Whatever you bring, of course, is always greatly appreciated!

Ken’s program entitled (I’m paraphrasing, so excuse me)”How Glassware Got Its Name” not only enlightened us but also made us lightheaded at the same time! His super gorgeous and expensive array of glassware (mostly Cambridge, what else?) ranged from cordials to snifters to goblets with a myriad of other types in-between. We were all getting a bit “tipsy” while imagining what a martini or Mai Tai or brandy might taste like
in one of these colorful holders. He kept us spellbound while he told us about the background of each of the glasses and how they came to hold the drink that they did.
“Inbibe” was certainly the word of the evening, but all we had to drink was coffee!
Our next meeting will take place on Wednesday evening, 2 February beginning as close to 7:30 as possible. The program for the evening will be TRANSPORTATION COLLECTIBLES presented by Roger Loucks. Garnering most of his items from either
e-Bay or antique shows, his 20-year collection focuses on items that relate to both buses and trolleys from the 1930’s through the 1950’s. When I asked him whether there would be anything pertaining to the world’s #1 bus driver, Ralph Kramden, (AKA Jackie Gleason)he said, “No, not so far.” Sounds like it’s going to be a wonderful program fraught with memories for those of us who grew up riding either mode of transportation!

Until we meet next week, a thought that may help to warm you up: Yankee pitchers and catchers report to spring training in little more than 2 weeks!

See you soon,
June

                                                                                                                                                                                                         Wednesday Evening, 29 September 2010
 
Hello to All You Soon-to-be-Water-Logged Ducks!
 
            NEW MEETING PLACE… SEE NOTE AT END OF NEWSLETTER !!!!
 
            A rain-plagued first meeting kept many of our regular members away, but those of us who braved the elements (some of us ended up wetter than others) managed to have a good time despite the sudden deluges.  Batten down the hatches tomorrow as tropical storm Nicole makes her way from our southern neighbors (NC to get 6-10”!!) to the tri-state region; we are expected to receive more than the summer’s total rainfall…. all within a 36 hour period!! Just think of those depleted reservoirs!
 
            If you missed September’s meeting, here are some of the highlights:
Our treasury (pre show) has approx $8200…..With wonders never ceasing, Guardian Angel Church has been more cooperative and has allowed us to book not 1 show but the next 3!!So, we are good until November of 2011.  Kathy will do the Friday A.M. kitchen and all day Saturday while Gayle and John will do the Friday evening preview….We need volunteers to help w/the kitchen on both days .Members are reminded to donate baked goods for Friday night ; refreshments should arrive before 6 P.M. You know the drill! Members who tend the door should sign up for blocks of at least 1 hour….
 
            I brought up the subject of the holiday dinner, and it was agreed that I should once
again, book Portobello’s in Oakland.  I suggested that we move back upstairs since last year we found it to be rather noisy w/ another party going on right next to us.
 
            Craig read a letter acknowledging our $200 contribution to the West Virginia Museum of American Glass in Weston, WV (a great little town having been there). One of our members (didn’t catch who) said it is a great museum that is worth seeing.
 
            Antoinette questioned the size of our library and suggested that we “slim it down” by keeping the “classics” and newer books and dispersing with the rest. (raffle? give-away?) I believe it was Craig who mentioned that perhaps our “new home” would have a place where we can store them (and not lug them!).
 
            Heisey will soon have ALL its past newsletters on their website.  Cambridge, in the meantime, is in the process of putting EVERY possible bit of info on Cambridge glass on the Internet for FREE.
 
            After Walter and Tom, did a very credible job at the Whats-it? table, we broke for refreshments (some peoples’ favorite part of the evening) and then moved on to our program, “The Best Buys of the Summer”.  Incredible bargains reigned as you will see if you read on:  KEN:  Cambridge “Gloria” etched amethyst vase…Cambridge opaque ivory vase….Cambridge “Rosepoint” ball jug (a whopping $7500!)….a Cambridge “Primrose” etched vase with a dragon (“Don’t ask me what it cost!” quipped the new owner.)…..a Cambridge light emerald jug set       JANE: collects Bessie Pease Guttmann baby pictures which many of us had hanging over our cribs when we were mere infants! She added two little beauties for a grand total of 6….ADELE:  a green and white slag glass candy dish for $4….GAIL: two weeks ago found a pr. of green “spool” lamps….also found a Cambridge “table architecture” which can be made (formed?) into various combos; going for $500 @ the Cambridge Convention; she paid $20….Kathy: a pr. of 1927 iron bookends….a lady head vase $1….Roseville wall pocket $1….TOM: next door to an auction that he often attends is an antique store; here is where he found a grouping of Fostoria pieces w/a Trojan etch.  He bought the rarest pieces; the decanter, which he also purchased, is NOT in any book and could be worth as much as $2000!…
ANTOINETTE: at a Ramsey sale found several pieces of L.E. Smith and Moderntone for $24; purchased some Cambridge goblets, too…. CRAIG:  3 weeks ago, he found 3 jadite and Fire King mixing bowls for a very low price….after attending the Heisey Convention, he came home with a cocktail shaker ( to add to his  burgeoning collection)which he labeled “hard-to-get.  It’s called “Winchester 73” after the early 50’s James Stewart western…..JUNE: on the way to a Hillside house sale, I remarked to Walter, “Gee, Phil Rizzuto lived here most of his life; I wonder if I’ll find anything Rizzuto.”  I wasn’t in the house 5 minutes when I found an autographed picture of Phil and Yogi Berra.  The $10 this Yankee fan spent was worth every penny! (And, no, Kenny you are Not getting this picture!)
 
                                    ****REMINDER****
          (1) This year’s meetings will take place on the FIRST Wednesday of the month beginning w/ the October meeting.
          (2) The meetings will take place at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood 07450.  This is near the Stop & Shop off Franklin Ave.  Use GPS or Map Quest or call Jane for assistance.
          (3) Starting time is 7 P.M.
          Our October meeting will take place next Wednesday, the 6th.  The program for the evening will be WESTMORELAND GLASS presented by Antoinette Alesi, our VP.If you would like to donate refreshments, phone Gail or Lori.
 
            In the meantime, stay dry until we meet next week!!… 
                                                                                    JUNE LEE

Hi, Everyone!
 
            ….and welcome back to the North Jersey Depression Glass Club’s 37th year!
 
            Here’s a little poem that I wrote that sort-of sums it all up:
 
Multi-colored beach umbrellas festooning the sand,
90 days filled with sun that shone on demand.
AC turned up to beyond full blast,
Snowy days a distant memory, somewhere in the past.
A romantic stroll on a moonlit night,
Capturing fireflies as they take flight.
Ice cream cones, a ride on a giant Ferris wheel,
Gave us that extra- special summertime feel.
But alas….
Cold weather lovers can soon quit their complaining,
This super hot Jersey summer is, at long last, waning.
 
 
1st MEETING DATE OF THE NEW SEASON: WEDNESDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER
 
PLACE: WYCKOFF PUBLIC LIBRRARY MEETING ROOM (DOWNSTAIRS)
 
TIME: AS CLOSE TO 7:30 AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE
 
PROGRAM: BEST BUYS OF THE SUMMER
 
REFRESHMENTS: PROVIDED BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
 
 
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT KEN FILIPPINI:
 
            “I am making a special appeal to all members that they attend this 1st meeting.
There are several important things that will be discussed, the most important of which is the fact that we will be holding the rest of this season’s meetings in RIDGEWOOD. Details at the meeting!”
 
                                                See you soon,
                                                       JUNE