Posted 3 years ago
burghguy
(1 item)
L.E. Smith George Washington. I believe these were made in the 1970's. I can't find another example.
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Very nice iridescence, cool Smith statue of GW - great find!
Hi, burghguy. :-)
Beautiful. I didn't find another in that gorgeous iridescent color, but I think I found one in satin glass:
*snip*
Catalog Number 2010.237.47
Object Name Bust
Description L. E. Smith Glass Company No. 6670 Washington figurine. Clear satin. From the No. 6674 Mount Rushmore collection. Embossed on base: "GEORGE / WASHINGTON / 1732-1799."
Manufacturer/Artist L. E. Smith Glass Company
Date Made ca. 1973-1974
Height (in) 6.25
Reference Sources Felt, L. E. Smith Glass Company: The First One Hundred Years, page 320.
*snip*
https://magwv.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/B5FB828B-C011-46BC-A8F8-257630917671
FYI, if you want your picture to orient correctly, try editing a copy on your local computing device to make the long sides of the rectangular image just a bit shorter. Then edit your post, and replace the current version with your edited one. That usually does the trick.
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Whoops, I see you've already corrected the orientation of your picture. Thanks.
There are a lot of people of a certain age here at CW S&T with stiff necks, }:-)
Thank you all for the help. I was going crazy trying to find another one.
burghguy, You're welcome. :-)
I was a bit shocked to find only one. Maybe I wasn't holding my mouth right, but fortunately that one is in a museum, so it has some documentation.
Unfortunately, that reference book turns out to be pretty expensive:
https://www.isbns.net/isbn/9781574325430/
You could check with your local library to see if either they have a copy, or can get one for you through the inter-library loan system.
one might question if the carnival glass version is a reproduction piece not made by Smith Glass. Smith did make a Mt. Rushmore collection as satin glass on marble bases. Not sure what happened to Smith's mold when they went out of business.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/smith-glass-mt-rushmore-presidents-1719876958
TallCakes, Woo hoo! The whole set!
Yes, excellent point about the possibility that some other glass maker might have bought the L. E. Smith Rushmore molds.
Apparently, L. E. Smith did produce some iridescent and carnival glass, starting in the 1960s and 1970s. However, they fell into financial trouble and finally closed:
https://www.carnivalglassworldwide.com/l-e-smith-glass.html
https://archive.triblive.com/news/smith-glass-assets-acquired/
Many of its assets were auctioned off, but exactly what happened to all those molds is an open question:
https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2017/03/24/former-glass-plant-to-be-auctioned-off.html
It sure doesn't look like a glass making facility any more:
1900 Liberty St, Mt Pleasant, PA 15666
https://goo.gl/maps/yNEgA8veS3USJBZN8
I'd be willing to bet it was made by Smith. I bought it in Mt. Pleasant where the factory was.
burghguy, Cool. :-)
You might well have a winning bet. If you can get a look at that "L. E. Smith Glass Company: The First One Hundred Years" book, page 320 might confirm it.
As to all of the molds, they might well still be housed in that one building at the southern end of the Factory Street loop. Some of those buildings have been repurposed, but not necessarily all of them.
Keramikos, Thanks for letting me know about that book. I've requested a copy from my library.
burghguy, You're welcome. :-)
Hopefully, that book will answer the question. Also hopefully, you'll let us know one way or the other.
Found it in the book! It's called Cobalt Carnival. The production dates are unknown.
burghguy, Woo hoo! Boy, that was fast.
So it is in the book, but the production dates are unknown. Well, we can't have everything, huh?
Thanks for following up. :-)
keramikos,
Even though it says production dates unknown it does say it was part of the series that was done in the crystal satin in 1973-74. I assume it would be from the same time frame.
burghguy, Yeah, it seems not unlikely that the cobalt versions where also produced roughly in the same time frame, given that L. E. Smith was producing carnival glass in the seventies.
BTW, here is the link I should have given you the other day (for libraries, rather than vendors):
https://www.worldcat.org/title/le-smith-glass-company-the-first-one-hundred-years-history-identification-and-value-guide/oclc/86106509
However, your library is on top of things, and found a copy right away. };-)