The Blenko Glass Company was founded by William J. Blenko, an English glass maker who was born in London in 1853, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1893. His original company, Eureka Glass, specialized in mouth-blown sheet glass for stained glass windows, Blenko developed new manufacturing techniques as well as some bold new colors, for which his company is still known today. The depression forced the company to move away from the manufacture of sheet glass, and into the area of tableware. Today, the Blenko Glass company does both, and is still in business in Milton, West Virginia with a 4th generation Blenko at the helm.
Collectible Blenko
Blenko tableware is moth-blown and typically in bold colors such as tangerine, mulberry, aqua, plum, gold and lime, among others. The earliest pieces had a strong Scandinavian influence, and these are often found with tool marks, and in free-form shapes. These early pieces sell for between $30-150. The highest priced Blenko seems to come from the Winslow Anderson years (1947-53) and the Wayne Husted years (1952-1963). Some of Anderson’s pieces are part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Wayne Husted’s extreme designs tend to have bold shapes, brilliant colors, and large dimensions. These large pieces are harder to find, and can bring thousands of dollars if they’re in popular colors and shapes, by name designers and in good condition.
Identifying Blenko Glass
Identifying Blenko can be difficult, as except for a prief period when the manufacturer’s mark was etched, Blenko use paper labels which rarely survive. The best way to tell if you own a piece of Blenko is to become familiar with the line. You can visit the Blenko website for more information.
