Colored Candlewick: Part III

by Virginia Scott
Glass Review - December 1982

Referring to the illustration at right, No. 1, are four items of 3400 Line Candlewick stemware which from 1977 to 1980, were produced by Imperial in the solid colors of Ultra Blue, Verde Green, Sunshine Yellow, and Nut Brown. Sometime during the same time, Imperial experimented with solid black goblets; but never put any on the market. Instead, black and leftover pieces of the other colors were disposed through the Imperial Hay Shed Outlet Shop.

Colored Candlewick Illustration No. 3 shows the Candlewick 400/450 round 3-piece Nested Ashtray Set. This set, using the number 400/450, was made in three colors from 1942 to mid-1960. The set consisted of 4" Aquamarine (blue), 5" Champagne (yellow ), and 6" Cranberry (pink) Ashtrays. In the catalogs, the notation was only "3 colors". Quite a few collectors have written that the shades of the colors vary, some having shown up in dark blue, gold, and lavender or amethyst. During World War II, the colored set was decorated with patriotic designs as follows: 4" blue, "V" (for Victory) surrounded by 12 stars; 5" yellow, shield with stripes and 13 stars; and 6" pink, eagle on a ball with 14 stars around it. It is not known how long this decorated set was made.

The 1977 imperial Catalog shows the 400/450 Ashtray Set ( No. 3) in solid Nut Brown and Ultra Blue. Collectors have also found nested sets in Cobalt Blue.

For four years, 1974 through 1977, the 400/ 172 4½" heart-shaped ashtray, No.4, was produced in color in limited numbers for the souvenir of the Annual Bellaire Glass Festival which takes place every July. Dates and colors are as follows: 1974, Ultra Blue; 1975, Verde Green: 1976, Milk Glass and 1977, Nut Brown. Each souvenir ashtray has the number of the glass festival and the year molded into the bottom: - Annual Glass Festival, Bellaire, 0. l97-.

For Years, Collectors have written me about finding round perfume atomizers (No. 5) with a beaded base which they stated were of the same design as 400/96 Candlewick shaker, with the atomizer sprayer fitting the shaker. It is now authenticated by Miss Lucille Kennedy of Imperial that the 400/96 mold was used to make the perfume atomizers for the DeVilbiss Company. Atomizers have been reported in green, lavender, turquoise, and yellow. There may have been other colors. A collector also sent a picture of a yellowish 400/247 Candlewick shaker (No. 5, right) with an atomizer top.

Recently, two collectors have reported finding pieces of amber Candlewick. These were the 400/30 Sugar and Cream Set and a 400/100 Twin Candleholder (No. 6). Collectors have also found a 400/18 80 oz. pitcher, No. 6 left, with a yellow base, stating that the base seems to be a 5" yellow ashtray attached to the pitcher. A California collector sent a picture of an amethyst 400/55 4-part 8½" relish (No. 7, left) and a 6" amethyst ashtray. A Texas collector reported seeing a purple 400/105 Celery Tray (No. 7, right).

No discussion of colored Candlewick would be complete without mentioning a large 3-part relish dish (No. 2) which has been seen in green, lavender, amber, and clear. Until recently, it has been believed that all the dishes of this design were made in Czechoslovakia. I now have a report from a collector who lives in the Bellaire, Ohio area, that a blue dish of this same design was given to the Bellaire Museum by a lady who worked at Imperial for many years; and that the donor said blue and green dishes of this sort were made by Imperial for a short time in the late l940s. I have not yet been able to check out this report with the former Imperial employee. When I first mentioned the Czech imports in my Candlewick newsletter, No. 2, I received letters from two collectors who said they had found similar green dishes which they believed to be older than the imports.