New Features on Miami Valley Study Group Web Site

This summer and early fall has been a slow period for project completion. However, we can report that several additions have been made to our web site during the last two months.

1. 432 photos have been added to our reference photo albums. Most of them came from the October National Cambridge Collectors quarterly meeting program on "Fall Colors" or from the photo shoot of the Lots for the 2018 auction. See prior posts for guidance on searching for and displaying new photos.

2. A video of the "Fall Colors" program has been added to our videos page along with a video on the "Bring and Brag" presentation after the main program.

3. A new photo album has been created to display the 424 lots for the 2018 auction.

4. A new feature was added to our home page to display a listing of original catalogs and price lists. Links on this new page allow you to access the National Cambridge Collectors publications page for reprinted items available for sale or to view or download those catalogs and price lists not reprinted.

5. A second new feature was added to our home page to display many miscellaneous Cambridge Glass Company documents including sales brochure, sales booklets, molds junked during WWII, mold order books, move & cost lists and advertising mats. All these documents can be downloaded for off-line research. More such documents will be added from time to time. Watch this blog for messages when new items are added to this page.

6. And, finally, the Miami Valley Study Group has created a YouTube© video channel to provided more access to educational videos on Cambridge Glass. The channel has the first two of six planned short videos on Cambridge Swans. In additional to the six videos on Swans, plans are to create short videos on other Cambridge Glass topics. We recommend that you subscribe to the channel to receive automatic notifications when new videos are added to the channel. To subscribe, click this link and click the "Subscribe" button on the right side of the page.

Enjoy these new items!!

Cambridge Price Lists

The latest major feature added to our web site is 50 Original Cambridge Price Lists containing over 1900 pages. This was done in response to requests at this year’s annual convention of National Cambridge Collectors, Inc. The value in price lists is that they contain information on Cambridge Glass not normally available in Cambridge Glass catalogs. Some catalogs contain both images of Cambridge Glass production items and prices, mostly pharmaceutical catalogs. The price lists are great research tools when used in conjunction with original catalog reprints, our online trade advertising and photo albums. You will find a link to the list of the 50 price lists above and near the bottom of our home page at mvsg.org. This list contains active links to each of the price lists along with a general description of the price list. ENJOY!

More Trade Publication Articles

Today, we announce the addition of seven more years of Cambridge Glass advertisements and articles from China, Glass & Lamps and Crockery and Glass Journal from 1923 through 1929. This brings the total coverage of articles for the period 1901 through 1929, half of the production life of the Cambridge Glass Company, 1901 to 1958.

We have also added highlight notes on the 1901-1922 years covering shapes or lines, colors, decorations and special events occurring or listed in those years. These notes appear at the top the the web page for the years indicated. Highlight notes will be added to 1923-1929 in the near future.

The overview web page providing access to these advertisements and articles is found at: http://www.mvsg.org/tradead.

New Videos and Photographs at MVSG.org

Late 2016 and four months in 2017 have been busy times adding videos and photos to our web site and photo albums.

You will find new videos of the “Bring and Brag” sessions at the October 2016 and March 2017 quarterly meetings. Click here to view these and other educational programs and Hollywood videos.

473 photos were added in November 2016. These photos feature new items from the 2017 NCC auction photography session in November and Miami Valley Study Group (MVSG) meetings in late 2016. You can conduct a “Search” function to see these photos using the following search parameters:

Search Box [space character]

Newer than 178 days

Older than 118 days

Increase the “Days” counts for the difference between today’s date (April 28, 2017) and the date you perform this search. Alternately, you could enter the name of your favorite etching in the search box if you track a particular etching, e.g. “point” for Rose Point etching. If your favorite etching is numbered only, enter “e” and the number without spaces, like “e731”, in the search box. Also check the “Filename” check box to increase the probability of search hits.

224 photos and images were added in April 2017 from a variety of sources. Featured items include pharmaceutical items from an MVSG program and two newly acquired pharmaceutical catalogs from 1905 and 1907. A new “ID Aid” album was created to facilitate identifying pharmaceutical items. The “Search” function can also be used to view these images using the following search parameters:

Search Box [space character]

Newer than  5  days

Also featured in these latest photos are new images from another newly acquired Cambridge catalog covering the 2636 “2636 "Sunburst" Line. This makes the coverage on the Sunburst line more complete.

Those readers planning to attend this year’s NCC convention should also plan to attend an educational session by the Miami Valley Study Group covering how to maximize the use of the key features on the MVSG web site for identification of Cambridge glass. Bring your laptop, internet enabled tablet or smart phone with data plan to this session. It is currently scheduled for 4:00 PM, Thursday, June 22^nd.

Access to this BLOG is now available using an encrypted connection at:  https://miami-valley-study-group.blogspot.com.

Major New Feature started on our main web site

 We are pleased to announce the first phase of a major new feature for our main web site. Have you ever wished that you had access to the glass trade advertising and articles involving the Cambridge Glass Company used by Crystal Ball article writers for the past 40 years? Only those club members involved in the original research in the 1970s and 1980s and those with time and easy access to the research room at the museum have had access to this information.

Now everyone will have access through our web site. Phase 1 is now online covering the first 22 years of Cambridge history from 1901 to 1922.  It can be accessed from our HOME page at the bottom of the image table or directly at TRADEAD. These articles and advertisements include actual Cambridge advertisements although Cambridge didn’t publish as many ads in the early years as in later years. These advertisements range from notice of the Cambridge exhibit location during the annual Pittsburgh glass show to hints of new items to be introduced to ads showing examples of new items being produced. Most of the information is in articles written by publication staff writers containing the latest news about Cambridge. The information in these articles varies from the writer’s description of new items shown by Cambridge at the Pittsburgh show and in Cambridge’s permanent showrooms to tidbits about company personnel travels, illnesses, funerals and reassignments. There is a wide variety of information in these tidbits. Much of the information in these short articles may not be of much interest to many collectors but, in total, these articles describe many of the production issues faced by Cambridge over the years including the impact of foreign competition, two world wars and the great depression along with lesser issues like plant fires and breaking melting pots.

A separate web page is available for each journal for each year. The publication journals included are:

Glass and Pottery World – 1901-1909 (publication discontinued in 1909)

Pottery, Glass and Brass Salesman – 1910-1942 (1923-1942 not researched)

Crockery and Glass Journal – 1875-1961 (1906-1958 only researched)

China, Glass and Lamps – 1890 to Date (1907-1958 only researched)

Not every one of the weekly issues of these publications was available to research; sometimes even whole semi-annual volumes were missing.

Everyone is encouraged to read through this information. There are hidden gems about new  decorations not currently known or documented. There is even a new color name not yet identified or included in current lists of known Cambridge colors. The most important value of this information is the timing of release or introduction of new items by Cambridge that cannot be deduced from catalog reprints and other resources.

This initial offering in phase 1 covering 1901-1922 is only the start. As time permits, additional years will be added and announced in this blog. Only China, Glass and Lamps and Crockery and Glass Journal items will be included in future releases.

Two More Hollywood Videos

Our observant Cambridge Glass collectors have spotted two more Hollywood Movies showing Cambridge Glass items. This brings the total number of Hollywood videos to thirty-one.

The first movie is "Bernie" starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey from 2011. This clip shows an Amethyst 3400/38 - 80 oz. Ball Shape Jug with ice lip,

Synopsis from imdb.com:: In small-town Texas, an affable mortician strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow, though when she starts to become controlling, he goes to great lengths to separate himself from her grasp.

The second movie is "The Dark Corner" starring Lucille Ball and Clifton Webb originally released in 1946. A #109 - Dolphin Candlestick makes its second appearance in an offering from Twentieth Century-Fox.

Synopsis from imdb.com:: Secretary tries to help her boss, who is framed for a murder.

New Hollywood Videos and Bottle Photos

We are pleased to announce the addition of two new Hollywood video clips and eleven Cambridge Cat and Dog bottle photographs to our site.

The first Hollywood video clip is from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart from 1939. It shows a dinner scene with 3111 Goblets probably with Carmen tops.

The second Hollywood video clip is from "Hail the Conquering Hero" starring Eddie Bracken with Ella Raines from 1944. This long clip introduces the movie theme as quickly as possible but is followed by several scenes showing Pressed Caprice Stemware.

Eleven Cat and Dog bottles photographs have been added to our photo albums courtesy of Sandy Bridwell-Walker from her 2016 convention program on Cambridge and New Martinsville cat and dog bottles.

2016 Convention VIdeos and Photos

The June 2016 annual convention of National Cambridge Collectors, Inc. is history. Four educational program videos from the convention have been uploaded to the Miami Valley Study Group web site along with the usual “Bring and Brag” session. The following videos with links are included:

"Turkeys" program narrated by Jim Findley

"Cat and Dog Bottles" program narrated by Sandy Bridwell-Walker

"Famous Flops by Cambridge" program narrated by Lynn Welker

“The Stars of Cambridge” program by the Miami Valley Study Group narrated by Larry Everett

“Bring and Brag” session narrated by Lynn Welker

Additionally, 84 photos have been added to our reference photo albums taken at the 2016 annual convention and other sources.

Tip: You can view just the new images by doing a SEARCH. Enter a single SPACE character in the SEARCH BOX and the number of days since June 30^th in the NEWER THAN ___ DAYS box. If you see some but not all 84 images, add 1 to the DAYS.

March 2016 Quarterly Meeting

The March 2016 quarterly meeting of National Cambridge Collectors, Inc. and the annual benefit auction is completed. The unofficial auction prices have been added to the 2016 auction photo album from information collected during the auction. The prices will be double checked for accuracy when the official prices are published in the Crystal Ball newsletter.

The “Bring and Brag” display following the quarter meeting contained the usual assortment of unusual examples of Cambridge Glass. Photos of the Cambridge items have been added to our research photo albums. See earlier messages describing how to search for recent additions to our photo albums. You can also view a video of the Bring and Brag session in our video section.

As a bonus, the MVSG home page has been updated to make it easier to access all of the site resources.

Replacements, Ltd. Photographs Added - Part 3

The third and final batch of photographs from Replacements, Ltd. including 532 images have been loaded into the MVSG Photo Albums. This brings the total to over 27,000 images online.

We again express our sincerest appreciation to Replacements, Ltd. for graciously providing these photographs.

Replacements, Ltd. Photographs Added - Part 2

446 photos were added January 26-27, 2016, continuing the loading of photographs courteously provided by Replacements, Ltd., See the new photos in our online photo albums.

These photos include inserts made by the Cambridge Glass Company that were placed in chrome and sterling silver metal holders made by Farber Bros. (chrome) and Sheffield Silver Company (silver). Sheffield was a subsidiary of Farber Bros. and both companies used some of the same Cambridge inserts. Many of the inserts with Sheffield sterling silver holders or bases were decorated with the Cambridge #772 Chantilly etching. Many people mistakenly attribute these sterling silver bases to R. Wallace & Sons. Look for the Sheffield silver hallmark on the base.

Sheffield Silver Company Hallmark

Watch for the third and final part of photos from Replacements coming soon. Part 3 will include primarily the Cambridge 3400, 3500 Gadroon and 3550 Caprice lines.

Replacements, Ltd. Photographs Added - Part 1

We are pleased to announce that we have resumed loading photographs graciously provided by Replacements, Ltd. after a long delay.  483 new photos were added January 21-23, 2016. This brings the total images online to more than 26,000.

Visit albums.mvsg.org to view the new photos. To see just the new photos, perform a search placing a space character in the search box and a number in the "Newer than xx days" box. The number needs to be the number of days back from the current date to January 21^st. Adding an extra day will insure the desired search results.

We express our appreciation to Replacements, Ltd. for providing these photographs. Additional photos are available and should be uploaded within the next two weeks.

Additional Photos Added to our Albums

We are pleased to begin 2016 with the addition of 289 photos to our online photo albums (albums.mvsg.org) from December 31st through January 2, 2016. See earlier posts for tips on how to view recent additions.

2016 promises to be an interesting year if we are able to complete several projects already in process. Continue to read these messages for announcements on these new projects.

440 New Images Added

440 new images were added to our photo albums from November 25th through the 30th. This brings the total images online to more than 25,000.

Visit albums.mvsg.org to view the new photos. To see just the new photos, perform a search placing a space character in the search box and a number in the "Newer than xx days" box. The number of days needs to be greater than the number of days back from the current date to November 25, 2015. Adding a couple of extra days will insure the desired search results.

If you have a focused interest, you can restrict the search result to your specific interest by entering the appropriate word in the search box and the number of days as outlined above. For example, entering "Portia" in the search box and number of days will show you the new images with the Portia etching.

New Movie & TV Show Clips

We have added four new movie and TV show clips to our “Cambridge in Hollywood” video vault. They include clips from:

the premiere episode of “Astronaut Wives Club”, the 2015 ABC television series;

“Double Indemnity” movie from 1944 starring Fred MacMurray & Barbara Stanwyck;

“Top Hat” movie from 1935 starring Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers;

“The Thin Man” move from 1934 starring William Powell & Myrna Loy.

Don’t miss viewing the other 16 TV show and movie clips at: http://www.mvsg.org/videos. The clips can be viewed in full screen mode in most web browsers on your computer.

Please let us know if you notice Cambridge Glass in other movies or TV shows by sending an email to: contact@mvsg.org. Include as much information as you can including movie or TV show title, what you saw and a description of the scene. If it is a TV series, include the season number, episode number and episode title. The production or airing year is often helpful also. Some good movies have been remade multiple times. The database at http://www.imdb.com is helpful in learning additional information. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for us to find the sighting of Cambridge Glass.

Miami Valley Study Group's New Blog

We have created this blog to keep interested viewers informed of additions to our extensive Cambridge Glass web site (mvsg.org), photo albums (albums.mvsg.org) and auction albums (auctions.mvsg.org). There are educational & Hollywood videos, Crystal Ball newsletter back issues from 1973, over 24,000 catalog images and photographs of Cambridge Glass and photographs of past and coming annual auction lots. You will also find information on Cambridge colors, trademarks and additional information of interest to Cambridge Glass collectors.

This forum will also allow us to provide tips on how to get the most from our extensive Cambridge Glass collection of information.

You can check this page periodically for new posts or you can subscribe to this page with an RSS Feed Reader. An RSS Feed Reader add-on is available for all web browsers except the new EDGE browser in Windows 10 (that will probably come eventually). The advantage of using an RSS Feed Reader is letting it monitor this blog for new posts so you don't have to remember to check back regularly.