Discover Mid-America – April 2011
Candy containers make sweet
collectibles
You don’t hear much about vintage, figural glass candy containers these days. However, there are still many serious collectors and rarities can be pricey. Many are offered on eBay.
They had humble beginnings as souvenirs for the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Appropriately, they were small glass bottles in the shape of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. By the end of the 19th century they were sold to travelers as souvenirs. Shortly thereafter, figural glass in the form of clocks or suitcases, were manufactured as hotel souvenirs with the name of the hotel on them. Political candidates used them in the form of hats.
(photo courtesy of Valerie’s Trunk)
In the 1930s, when the automatic bottle-blowing machine came into use, they were mass-produced in hundreds of shapes and often filled with small candies. The horns, rabbits and trains were made for the children’s market. It is these items that collectors look for.
Most were produced in colorless glass by the Victory Glass Company (1919-1930), Jeannette, PA. Of their 65 different forms, one of the most popular was a rabbit sitting on its haunches, with gilt trim on the upper part and green paint near the bottom. Collectors search for examples in clear glass, milk glass, and in the colors amber, blue and red. Considered choice is the pressed and gilded milk glass mantle clock first made in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, 1908-1912.
(photo courtesy of Bonaypa.com)
By the late 1920s, radio and cartoon characters became popular. One example is of Amos ’n Andy in a taxi cab container. Although manufactured by the hundreds, it’s a rare find that could be valued at more than $900.
Clear glass containers in the forms of trains, planes, cars and ships can sometimes be priced for less than $100. When they are painted, the price goes up. Among the rarest, and most expensive, was doll furniture-sized and based on the “Flossie Fisher” comic character. The bed, at three-and-three-quarter inches, could sell for more than $1,000.
CLUES
Reproductions of the most popular pieces have been made. For example, in the 1940s and 1950s the gilt rabbit was reproduced by the Victory Glass Company. It’s marked “Victory Glass Inc.” In 1973, the Westmoreland Glass Co. made reproductions of its clock container but in colored glass.
(photo courtesy of Private collector)
Rarity, condition and novelty fuel the price. There are still some 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Liberty Bell containers around. They can sell for around $150.
Not all figural glass containers were purposed for candy. Some had slotted openings and were meant to be penny banks. Tops were screw-on tin. The end of the glass candy container came in the 1960s when they were replaced by plastic.
Anne Gilbert has been self-syndicating the ANTIQUE DETECTIVE to such papers as the Chicago Sun Times and the Miami Herald since 1983. She has authored nine books on antiques, collectibles and art and appeared on national TV. She has done appraisals for museums and private individuals.