Description: 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Olive Green Blenko Goofus Vase 15 inch Carnival Pickle Jar documented! West Virginia Offered here is a 15 inch tall Goofus Jar produced using an antique mold at the Blenko Glass Company in Milton, West Virginia in 1971. THIS AUCTION IS FOR ONE JAR! The first photo is a composite showing all sides of the jar in one photo. These jars were originally made in aqua color glass by the Gayner Glass Works in Salem, New Jersey as a private order for a “novelty man,” who had the jars made as carnival prizes circa 1913/ 1914. The design is frequently called a Goofus Jar because many were painted in the rather garish colors found on the pressed Goofus glass pieces produced in the early 20th century. Many also refer to these as pickle jars made in the late 19th century. The design of this jar is roses on a trellis. The primary design is only on one side of the jar. Some information about this specific jar. It was made for a New Jersey antique dealer / entrepreneur who acquired the mold from a defunct New Jersey glass factory. While the dealer hoped to have thousands of these jars produced for him to sell, it can only be confirmed that Blenko made 63 of these jars; 21 in tangerine, 21 in olive green, 20 in turquoise and 1 in crystal. The rarity of these brightly colored jars in the market leads one to believe the hoped for number was not produced. I first learned of the Blenko jars twenty years ago from a friend who had purchased three of the jars when they came out. (His tangerine, olive and turquoise jars had Blenko paperwork with them so I knew they were made there.) I inquired about them during several trips to Blenko, but Blenko employees always told me they didn’t know anything about them. Neither did any of the Blenko collectors I knew. About ten years ago I stumbled across the correspondence between the dealer and Blenko about the jars in a New Jersey museum, confirming the story. By that time my friend had passed away and his jars were long gone. While in preparation for an article about these and other jars of similar design, I stumbled across the olive green jar offered here. (Of course, in New Jersey!) It stands 15 inches tall and is in excellent condition. It does not have a pontil mark. For those who keep track of the Blenko colors, yes, Blenko was producing olive during the time of the order for these jars. It has a ground and polished top. For accuracy, there is one small chip on the inside rim, not uncommon on the few jars I have seen where the lip is ground. This jar is similar in size and design to the Westmoreland Glass 104 Jar, first made in 1926 in Grapeville, Pennsylvania. The designs are subtly different and can be easily identified once you know what to look for. The Blenko jar is the only one made in olive green. To identify the Blenko Jar design, find the large rose in the middle of the design positioned beneath two slightly smaller roses. Find the triangle formed by stems rising to the center rose, with a ring that encircles the entire jar serving as the base of the triangle. In the center of the triangle is another stem that comes down from the rose but does not go all the way to the base of the triangle. The Blenko jar has a leaf that touches both the right-hand stem and the center stem. On the Westmoreland Jar, the leaf is only on the right-hand stem. Easy to see from a distance. This exact jar is pictured in the October 2024 issue of All About Glass, a quarterly magazine published by the West Virginia Museum of American Glass. (Figure 26) The article entitled A Tale of Two Goofus (Jars) appears in both the July and October 2024 issues. The two-part article gives a detailed history of this jar design. I will include both parts of the article with the jar. The original correspondence shown in this listing is not part of this auction. The originals are in a museum collection in New Jersey. Check for examples of the Gayner jars made using the same mold on my Ebay auctions. My apologies for the slightly dark video. USPS Priority Mail shipping. My apologies for the high shipping cost – it’s a large box! I make no profit on it.) Please note: Ebay may charge you sales tax on this item for the state that you reside in unless you have given them a tax-exempt number. This seller does not receive any of those funds. (In other word, “Don’t shoot the messenger!”)
Price: 500 USD
Location: Wilmington, Massachusetts
End Time: 2024-12-03T03:32:48.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: Blenko
Type: Vase
Color: olive green
Material: Glass
Production Technique: Hand Blown Glass