Heisey Glass Company
Encyclopedia
The A.H. Heisey Company was formed in Newark
, Ohio
, in 1895 by A.H. Heisey. The factory provided fine quality glass
tableware and decorative glass figurine
s. Both pressed
and blown
glassware
were made in a wide variety of patterns and colors.
The company was operated by Heisey and his sons until 1957, when the factory closed.
The company also made glass automobile
headlights and Holophane Glassware lighting fixtures.
Heisey glassware is readily identifiable by its high clarity and brilliance. It is highly finished through the process of firepolishing, with polished bottoms. Many of the pressed pieces appear to be cut crystal on casual inspection, due to the high quality of the glass and the crispness of the molding. The majority of the pieces are impressed with the company logo, a raised capital letter "H" inscribed in a diamond of approximately 1/4 inch (6 mm) in length. This mark is found on the bottom of most large pieces and on the base or stem of drinking glasses and compotes.
Heisey glass is highly collectible and widely available in antique stores across North America
and online auctions such as eBay
.
Popular pattern names include Crystolite, Greek Key, Empress, Plantation, Ridgeleigh, Stanhope, Old Sandwich, and Yeoman, amongst dozens of others.
Heisey glass was produced in colors throughout the life of the factory, but the most prolific period of color manufacturing was from 1925 to 1938, when the most collectible colors were created. The company went to great lengths to produce distinct colors, and Heisey glass may often be identified from the specific colors alone. In 1925, Flamingo (a pastel rose-pink) and Moongleam (a vivid green) were introduced and produced in large quantities. Marigold is a brassy gold-yellow color. Sahara, which replaced Marigold, is a satisfying soft lemony yellow color. Hawthorne is a lavender color. Tangerine, a bright orange-red produced from about 1933, was part of a trend to darker, more vivid colors. During this time, a Cobalt color called Stiegel Blue was also produced. Alexandrite is the rarest of Heisey colors; it can be a pale blue-green under normal light, but in sunlight or ultraviolet light, it glows with a pink-lavender hue. Zircon is a very modern grey-blue and was the last new color introduced.
Heisey is believed to have made a few pieces in milk glass
in its early production years and likely produced vaseline glass as well in the early twenties, although not in large quantities.
At the time the factory closed, the Imperial Glass Company
bought the molds for the Heisey glass production and continued producing some pieces mostly with the Imperial Glass mark until they went out of business in 1984. Many of these pieces were animal figurines, mostly in new or original colors using the old molds.
. The museum is housed in the 1831 Samuel D. King home, which features a Greek Revival style. The museum maintains a significant collection of Heisey glass. Exhibits display examples of hundreds of patterns and all known colors, as well as such workmanship as cuttings, etchings, engravings, and experimental pieces. Other displays show the company's glass manufacturing process through molds, tools, etching plates, factory designs, and samples. In addition to the exhibits, the museum features a media center, company archives (with many original molds), a library, and a gift shop.
When the Imperial Glass Company went out of business in the 1980s, the club purchased the Heisey molds and established an archive. The Heisey Collectors of America occasionally reproduces pieces from the original molds, for fundraising purposes, that are sold in the gift shop.
Newark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, in 1895 by A.H. Heisey. The factory provided fine quality glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
tableware and decorative glass figurine
Figurine
A figurine is a statuette that represents a human, deity or animal. Figurines may be realistic or iconic, depending on the skill and intention of the creator. The earliest were made of stone or clay...
s. Both pressed
Pressed glass
Pressed glass is a form of glass made using a plunger to press molten glass into a mold. It was first patented by American inventor John P. Bakewell in 1825 to make knobs for furniture....
and blown
Glassblowing
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble, or parison, with the aid of a blowpipe, or blow tube...
glassware
Glassware
This list of glassware includes drinking vessels , tableware, such as dishes, and flatware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry whether made of glass or plastics such as polystyrene and...
were made in a wide variety of patterns and colors.
The company was operated by Heisey and his sons until 1957, when the factory closed.
The company also made glass automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
headlights and Holophane Glassware lighting fixtures.
Heisey glassware is readily identifiable by its high clarity and brilliance. It is highly finished through the process of firepolishing, with polished bottoms. Many of the pressed pieces appear to be cut crystal on casual inspection, due to the high quality of the glass and the crispness of the molding. The majority of the pieces are impressed with the company logo, a raised capital letter "H" inscribed in a diamond of approximately 1/4 inch (6 mm) in length. This mark is found on the bottom of most large pieces and on the base or stem of drinking glasses and compotes.
Heisey glass is highly collectible and widely available in antique stores across North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and online auctions such as eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
Popular pattern names include Crystolite, Greek Key, Empress, Plantation, Ridgeleigh, Stanhope, Old Sandwich, and Yeoman, amongst dozens of others.
Heisey glass was produced in colors throughout the life of the factory, but the most prolific period of color manufacturing was from 1925 to 1938, when the most collectible colors were created. The company went to great lengths to produce distinct colors, and Heisey glass may often be identified from the specific colors alone. In 1925, Flamingo (a pastel rose-pink) and Moongleam (a vivid green) were introduced and produced in large quantities. Marigold is a brassy gold-yellow color. Sahara, which replaced Marigold, is a satisfying soft lemony yellow color. Hawthorne is a lavender color. Tangerine, a bright orange-red produced from about 1933, was part of a trend to darker, more vivid colors. During this time, a Cobalt color called Stiegel Blue was also produced. Alexandrite is the rarest of Heisey colors; it can be a pale blue-green under normal light, but in sunlight or ultraviolet light, it glows with a pink-lavender hue. Zircon is a very modern grey-blue and was the last new color introduced.
Heisey is believed to have made a few pieces in milk glass
Milk glass
Milk glass is an opaque or translucent, milky white or colored glass, blown or pressed into a wide variety of shapes.First made in Venice in the 16th century, colors include blue, pink, yellow, brown, black, and the white that led to its popular name....
in its early production years and likely produced vaseline glass as well in the early twenties, although not in large quantities.
At the time the factory closed, the Imperial Glass Company
Imperial Glass Company
The Imperial Glass Company is located in Bellaire, Ohio with a factory located on 29th Street and the offices located on Belmont Street. The factory was razed in 1995 to make room for commercial development and the Belmont Street location was transformed into a museum known as the National Imperial...
bought the molds for the Heisey glass production and continued producing some pieces mostly with the Imperial Glass mark until they went out of business in 1984. Many of these pieces were animal figurines, mostly in new or original colors using the old molds.
National Heisey Glass Museum
Enthusiasts of Heisey Glass formed the Heisey Collectors of America in 1971. In 1974, the group founded the National Heisey Glass Museum, located in Veterans Park in downtown Newark, OhioNewark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
. The museum is housed in the 1831 Samuel D. King home, which features a Greek Revival style. The museum maintains a significant collection of Heisey glass. Exhibits display examples of hundreds of patterns and all known colors, as well as such workmanship as cuttings, etchings, engravings, and experimental pieces. Other displays show the company's glass manufacturing process through molds, tools, etching plates, factory designs, and samples. In addition to the exhibits, the museum features a media center, company archives (with many original molds), a library, and a gift shop.
When the Imperial Glass Company went out of business in the 1980s, the club purchased the Heisey molds and established an archive. The Heisey Collectors of America occasionally reproduces pieces from the original molds, for fundraising purposes, that are sold in the gift shop.