The Lancaster Glass Co., 1908-1937
Often filed among the minor glass houses, the Lancaster Glass Company left collectors Jubilee, Patrick, Open Work and dozens of cut and etched lines, along with molds Hocking kept using for decades.
The Lancaster Glass Company and Anchor Hocking
July 2008 marked 100 years since the founding of the Lancaster Glass Company. It is sometimes counted among the minor American glass companies, but its influence lasted far longer than its name. At the time of the centennial, Lancaster’s Plant #2 was still operating in Lancaster, Ohio, under the Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation.
Hocking acquired a controlling interest in Lancaster in 1924. After completing the final purchase, it dissolved the Lancaster name by 1937. The molds survived the company, though. Through the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Hocking used many molds originally made by Lancaster for some of its own lines.
For collectors, that history explains why Lancaster shapes sometimes appear under other names, and why learning the company’s lines takes some patience.
Founding the Lancaster Glass Co. in 1908
Lucien B. Martin and his son, L. Phillip Martin, started the company in Lancaster, Ohio, about 30 miles southeast of Columbus, in early July 1908. Lucien Martin had previously worked for the Fostoria Glass Company in Fostoria, Ohio, some 128 miles to the northwest.
Work moved fast. The foundation for the new plant was finished in August, a month after the founding. The July 9, 1908, issue of the trade journal China, Glass and Lamps reported that operations were expected to begin that fall. The company was formally organized by November, and by the end of 1908 the plant employed slightly more than 200 people.
Isaac J. Collins, who had moved from Maryland in 1903 to head the Ohio Flint Glass Company, became president of the Lancaster Glass Co. Collins later headed the Hocking Glass Co. and stayed with the Anchor Hocking Corporation until his death in October 1975.
Lancaster’s partners: Standard, Monongah and Lotus
Lancaster worked closely with several glass companies of its day. The Standard Glass Manufacturing Company of Bremen, Ohio, cut many Lancaster blanks. The Monongah Glass Company of Fairmont, West Virginia, was bought by Lancaster in 1927. The Lotus Glass Company of Barnesville, Ohio, applied silver overlay decoration to some Lancaster blanks.
A blank is an undecorated piece of glass sold by one factory to another to be cut, etched or decorated. The practice was common in the period and is one reason the same shape can turn up with very different decoration. Porcelain worked the same way, with outside decorators painting factory blanks, as collectors of Limoges know well.
After the Monongah purchase, Lancaster marketed many Monongah stemware pieces, and Monongah etches are also found on Lancaster blanks. Vida is one such etch that became popular on pink Lancaster glass. Lotus’ Hunt Scene is probably the best-known etch and silver overlay design on pink and topaz Lancaster blanks, and Grecian Urn is another popular Lotus overlay, though it appears on other companies’ blanks as well. Collectors who like silver decoration on glass may also enjoy silvered mercury glass.
Patrick and Jubilee, Lancaster’s best-known patterns
Two of Lancaster’s most famous lines are Jubilee and Patrick. Patrick, sold in topaz (yellow) and rose (pink), was actually marketed as Decoration #203 under the name “Patrician.” Hazel Marie Weatherman renamed it “Patrick” in her 1974 book Colored Glassware of the Depression Era 2, and the new name stuck.
Jubilee has a more tangled history. The design, Cut #1200, was cut by artisans at the Standard Glass Manufacturing Company, which also sold its own Cut #1200 line. The pattern took its name from the 15th anniversary of the Frigidaire Corporation, when a free 19-piece topaz luncheon set was given to anyone who bought a Frigidaire appliance.
Jubilee still confuses buyers and sellers, because Standard cut its 12-petal flower in many variations, each with its own cut number and name. Much of the appeal of Jubilee and Patrick is that each offers a full range of luncheon pieces, while many other Lancaster lines were mainly decorative.
Pink and topaz glass of this period sits at the heart of Depression-era collecting. Collectors drawn to unusual colored glass of earlier decades often branch into vaseline glass as well.
Open Work, Twinkle, Tyrus and other Lancaster lines
Lancaster made so many cuts, molds, patterns and decorations that collectors have plenty to choose from. Lines such as Jody, Marguerite, Morning Glory and Sunshine were growing in popularity around 2008, and many collectors set out to find every piece and color made in a single line.
The company’s most extensive documented line is #906, Open Work, with more than 30 known pieces. Open Work was the basis for Hocking’s Old Colony, made in pink and crystal. Lancaster’s own Open Work came in seven colors, both clear and with a satinized finish, and was also decorated with etching, decals, gilding and painting.
Some Standard Glass lines are equally sought after. Standard’s Grape is popular with collectors. Twinkle (pink) and Tyrus (topaz), both Cut #28, are coveted by Jubilee collectors because their 12-petal flower closely resembles Cut #1200. Many Twinkle and Tyrus pieces are decorative serving or sideboard pieces that complement a Jubilee table. Beadles, another Standard cut on pink Lancaster blanks, turns up often in online auctions and antique shops.
Lancaster stretch glass and the rarest pieces
Lancaster also made stretch glass, iridescent ware with a fine, crinkled surface. Rose Lustre with painted purple flowers (Decoration #400) and Green Lustre with painted orange flowers (Decoration #401) are sought by both Lancaster and stretch glass collectors. Iris Ice, a white satinized stretch line with painted purple flowers, also draws attention when it surfaces.
The company left its mark in 29 years of production under its own name, and Hocking kept using the molds long afterward. The Grape etch was in use well into the 1960s.
In 2008, rare pieces of Lancaster’s Sphinx and almost any colored piece of its Cable or Petal lines with the Corn Flower etch, done by the W. J. Hughes Corn Flower Company of Ontario, Canada, were selling for hundreds of dollars. Certain Tyrus and Twinkle pieces brought similar prices because of their link to Jubilee. A rare Sphinx console bowl, listed at $1,750 in the collector’s reference The Lancaster Glass Co. 1908-1937 by John P. Zastowney, was probably the rarest piece documented there.
New discoveries were still being made at that time, and each new etch, cut or color added to what collectors knew about the company.
Questions and answers
When was the Lancaster Glass Company founded?
The Lancaster Glass Company was founded in early July 1908 in Lancaster, Ohio, by Lucien B. Martin and his son, L. Phillip Martin. Lucien had worked for the Fostoria Glass Company. The plant’s foundation was finished that August, the company was formally organized by November, and it had slightly more than 200 employees by the end of 1908.
What happened to the Lancaster Glass Company?
Hocking Glass acquired a controlling interest in Lancaster in 1924 and dissolved the Lancaster name by 1937 after its final purchase. Hocking kept using many Lancaster molds in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. In 2008 Lancaster’s Plant #2 was still operating in Lancaster, Ohio, under Anchor Hocking.
Is Jubilee glass made by Lancaster?
Jubilee was made on Lancaster blanks, but the Cut #1200 design was cut by the Standard Glass Manufacturing Company of Bremen, Ohio, which also sold its own Cut #1200 line. The name came from Frigidaire’s 15th anniversary, when buyers of a Frigidaire appliance received a free 19-piece topaz luncheon set.
What is the difference between Patrick and Patrician glass?
They are the same Lancaster line. Lancaster marketed it as Decoration #203, called Patrician, in topaz and rose. Hazel Marie Weatherman renamed it Patrick in her 1974 book Colored Glassware of the Depression Era 2, and collectors have used Patrick ever since.
Which Lancaster glass pieces are the most valuable?
In 2008, rare Sphinx pieces and almost any colored Cable or Petal piece with the Corn Flower etch by the W. J. Hughes Corn Flower Company sold for hundreds of dollars. Some Tyrus and Twinkle pieces brought similar prices. A Sphinx console bowl listed at $1,750 was considered probably the rarest documented piece.