Collecting Glassware
IN CONTINUITY LIES CONFIDENCE
by Emily Seate
Have you ever wondered why people collect things? I have. I remember when I was a child that bottle caps and popsicle sticks were prime collectables, as well as being very practical toys. The sticks could be used to build any number of things, and the bottle caps I remember had a cork insert which, when popped out, could be used to affix a brightly colored bottle cap to ones t-shirt for decoration. My favorite was Grape Nehi.
Crystal collecting is another story, often coming later in life and thrust upon one through inheritance. Take dear Aunt Nelda, for example, who is a totally fictitious character invented by me to illustrate a point or two.
Let’s say that one day you receive a rather large box in the mail, and you vaguely remember an earlier letter relating that dear Aunt Nelda had passed on to a greater reward and left you her crystal. You didn’t think much of it at the time, but now here that crystal is, demanding your attention. You slit open the box carefully and lift the flaps. Inside is a multitude of those little styrofoam giblets. You feel around for something else and find a bubble-wrapped package. Snip, snip, and the wrap falls away to reveal tissue paper. Carefully you peel away the layers of tissue and hold up a stem so delicate it almost takes your breath away. Memories come flooding back as you recall seeing her table set with this very crystal once, long ago. You were younger then, and in your awe mumbled something about thinking the table was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. You had forgotten saying that, but dear Aunt Nelda obviously had not.
Excited now, you rescue every package as though it is buried treasure. Each piece is set on your table, with you fully anticipating how your table will soon look just as wonderful as your memory of dear Aunt Nelda’s. But, there are only three goblets, six champagnes, two plates, four cups and three saucers. This won’t do! You are sure that you remember eight different places set around dear Aunt Nelda’s awe-inspiring table. Where are they? Was there another box? And what about the candlesticks with those beautiful prisms dangling? And the serving bowls, and those little nut dishes?
Before you know it, you are hooked, dedicated to finding the rest of the set, intent on making your table look like your memory of dear Aunt Nelda’s. You do it because this crystal reminds you of how wonderful dear Aunt Nelda was, of how remarkable she was, of how much she meant to you. You want to honor her memory, but even more, you are drawn by the fragile beauty of the crystal. Perhaps it is the delicate etching, or the intriguing color, or the extraordinary gold band, but also there is a knowing in you that through this crystal you connect with a time that will not be duplicated again, a living history. Fine crystal, made in America, part of your heritage.The smile on your face comes from the confidence you feel deep inside of you that you have inherited much more than dear Aunt Nelda’s crystal.
There are many other ways, of course, in which hand-made, American crystal causes obsessive/compulsive behaviors. Sometimes it only takes the sight of one piece in some dusty, obscure shop to cause complete and irreversible addiction. It doesn’t happen to everyone. I’d like to think we are a pretty exclusive crowd, those of us who revere the past and dedicate ourselves to preserving history for ourselves and for future generations. You understand, of course, that once dear Aunt Nelda’s crystal pattern is once again complete, there will be another young person who will whisper in your ear, “Gramma, that table is awesome!”
Emily Seate is co-author with Milbra Long of “Fostoria Stemware.”
Together, they own and operate Milbra’s Crystal, featured on Aisle
three
of MegaShow.