At a local antique meeting several years ago, we were helping to identify items that  members had brought to the meeting. It surprised us when many of the members didn’t know what the marks on the glassware meant. Knowing a mark helps put a start on getting the item identified.

We thought with the start of the new year, that this would be a good time to go over the different marks on the glassware. Not every company put a mark in their glassware. Some also just used paper labels. We thought it also would be interesting to list where the company was located, the years the company was in business and major types of glassware the particular company made.

Akro Agate- 1914 to 1951  Clarksburg, West Virginia. Mark: A crow (Akro) with marbles in its beak and claws. This company primarily produced marbles and children’s dishes.

Anchor Hocking- 1905 to present  Lancaster, Ohio.  Mark: H over an anchor   They produce tableware, containers and oven ware.

Boyd Art Glass- 1978 to present  Cambridge, Ohio.  Mark: B inside a diamond.  Small novelty items are produced on a limited edition with a special color only being offered for a month.

Cambridge- 1901 to 1958  Cambridge, Ohio.  Mark: C inside a triangle and Near Cut    They produced excellent tableware in crystal and colors that were pressed and blown.

Federal- 1900 to 1979  Columbus, Ohio.  Mark: F in a shield    They were a large producer of machine made tumblers and jugs.

Fenton- 1905 to present  Williamstown, West Virginia.  Mark: Fenton in an oval starting in 1970.   An 8 was placed under Fenton for the 1980s and a 9 for the 1990s.For the start of the new century, a 0 under the Fenton. The script F is used to indicate the item was not from an original Fenton and was purchased from another company. A major producer of gift ware and known for their unique glass formulas such as Burmese, Carnival, Rosalene and  Favrene.

Fostoria- 1887 to 1985  Moundsville, West Virginia.  Mark: In its later years items were marked with a Fostoria acid stamp. They produced high quality tableware in crystal and many colors.

Guernsey - 1970 to 1988  Cambridge, Ohio  Mark: B inside a triangle 
A producer of small novelty items.

Hazel Atlas- 1902 to 1956  Clarksburg, West Virginia.  Mark: H over the top of an  A.  They produced dinnerware patterns and containers.

Heisey- 1893 to 1956  Newark, Ohio.  Mark: H inside a diamond   Their production was high quality dinnerware in crystal and colors.

Imperial- 1901 to 1984  Bellaire, Ohio. Marks: Imperial spelled out in a cross,
Nucut, and an I over a G. Produced high quality tableware and gift ware.

Jeannette- 1900 to present  Jeannette, Pennsylvania. Marks: J in a triangle.
Only their earliest pieces were occasionally marked. Large producer of tableware and kitchen items.

L.E.Smith- 1907 to present  Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania. Mark: L and  E inside a S     Produced various types of gift ware.

Mosser- 1959 to present  Cambridge, Ohio. Marks: M or a M inside the outline of the state of Ohio. Produces novelty glassware.

Summit- 1960 to 1999   Mogadore, Ohio  Marks: A V or a V in a circle
Produces novelty items.

U.S.Glass- 1891 to 1951 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mark: A U and S over a G
Produced high quality tableware and gift ware.

Westmoreland- 1890 to 1984  Grapeville, Pennsylvania.  Mark: W over a G   Produced quality tableware and gift ware.
           
Not all pieces in the various companies are marked but this should give you a start in helping to identify pieces. Some of the companies also used paper labels that come off with usage over time. Remember the type of glassware will determine where to start looking. We remember several years ago some cheap import covered animal dishes were hitting the United States market with a mark of a H in an odd diamond. Several people thought these were unusual Heisey pieces because of the mark. First, of all Heisey didn’t make covered animal dishes. Second, the glass was of very poor quality. Third, the opaque blue color was not a Heisey color and Fourth, the mark was really a H in a square turned on a point. Any one of these things would signal it could not be Heisey but yet people were misled.

Look carefully at each piece of glass and think about the individual characteristics of each company to help in identification of each item.