Westmoreland Glass paneled grape milk glass pitcher

This milk glass pitcher by Westmoreland Glass Company is 9" high x 4.5" diameter x 7" handle to spout and weighs about 4 lbs. This pitcher was also available in a height of 11" and was proportionally larger. I already have both sizes in my collection. The smaller one in my collection has 6 goblets in paneled grape and the larger one has 6 tall milk glass paneled grape glasses. No idea what the large pitcher weighs. I am just guessing about what the smaller one weighs as I do not have access to my scale. This one has a very clear W over G mark on the bottom. Made 1952-1984, as I recall.

The only other image of this pitcher I found on CW was in the background of a large pile of Westmoreland glass.

After a large selection of Westmoreland milk glass appeared at the local GW almost two weeks ago, I successfully resisted buying some as I no longer collect it, well at least I seldom buy it anymore. Fenton and Westmoreland milk glass were the first kinds of glass that I collected. All of the GW glass appeared to be in mint condition and included several pieces that I have never seen before or seen only online. Eventually, the vertical beam of milk glass white light reaching into the sky above the distant GW store, lighting up my house at night so that I could not sleep, forced me back to the store a couple of times. It was all still there! Apparently, this stuff is no longer collectible or just not collectible where I live. So, I finally lost the battle about bought two pieces.

Why buy one that I already two examples of? The pitchers in my collection are at my other house, pretty deeply buried in a China cabinet. I also just really like big hunks of glass like this, and these pitchers are some of the largest, heaviest things WG made. I will probably use this one. Also, the mold this one was made from did not have a lot of wear. The details on some Westmoreland glass can be lacking or ill defined, I think because molds were sometimes used until they were excessively worn, probably to limit production costs. That is my theory, anyway. The W over G mark is sometimes very faint. I suspect that some glass dated to pre-1952 when this mark was first used may be made after 1952 with worn molds. If detail is not great on an unmarked piece of Westmoreland glass, I recommend that claims of age be taken with a grain of salt.

Westmoreland milk glass is unmistakable. It is deep white, often with a bit of swirl in it and a pearlescent sheen When viewed from some angles. I can usually spot it at a glance, but always after handling it. It is some of the best, if not the best, factory milk glass ever made. IMHO..