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Viking Glass – A Colorful History

iking Glass grew out of its ebony, cobalt blue, sky blue, and
predecessor, New Martinsville ruby colors, and then in 1953 adding
VGlass Company, which was amethyst, charcoal, cherry glo, colonial
established in 1900 by Mark Johnson blue harvest gold, and olive green to
and George Matheny. The plant the mix. New colors continued to be
was up and running in 1901 in added into the 1960s but by 1964,
New Martinsville, West Virginia, the Company had reduced the number
known for its natural gas and access to of color choices from over 30 to
A rare sight - the etched Viking logo transportation by rail and by river – seven: amberina, avocado green,
the Ohio river. The company quickly bluenique, crystal, honey, persimmon,
became known as a manufacturer of American decorative glass and ruby.
products, and for its use of color – something Viking championed until The largest product line for Viking
it closed its doors in 1984. was the Epic line (1956-1975), which
contained the majority of Mid-Century
The Glass Company That Could Modern patterns and colors. Also
New Martinsville included in this line was an entire
Glass had a bit of a set of Noah’s Ark animals, birds, Blunique Tundra Vase
rocky start. In 1907, the and a variety of sculptural items both
factory was destroyed by utilitarian and non-utilitarian. Other lines include the Flamenco line
fire and flood, but which featured a thick, heavy crystal making it more akin to European
rebuilt and reopened design; Tundra featured items that looked handmade but were actually
by October that same pressed glass items that were then hand-tooled at the top to give each
year. During the 1913 piece that hand-blown look; the Scroll line that was somewhat
flood, the Company short-lived (1956-1962) and was more utilitarian in nature (items
suffered some “minor included a gravy boat and a mayonnaise bowl); and the Astra line that
losses relative to the arrived just in time to go into orbit as Sputnik flew above the Earth.
manufacturing of glass”
(Paint, Oil, and The End of an Era … the Start of Collecting
Chemical Review, vol. Four men are sitting on a wall near the New By 1980 the company was struggling amid the recession. In 1984
55, circa 1913). Then, Martinsville Glass Factory in New Martinsville, when the company finally closed its doors, its assets were purchased by
West Virginia, c. 1900
with the rebuilding of Kenneth B. Dalzell, the fourth generation of Dalzells at Fostoria glass,
its glass factory, New Martinsville Glass moved into full-scale who re-named the company the Dalzell-Viking Glass Company.
production of pressed glassware, and then quickly expanded into Dalzell tried to revive the firm with traditional pressed patterns (such as
vanities, barware, lamps, inkwells, and crystal figurines, among other pinwheel and star) in popular 1990s colors like magenta, deep red,
decorative glass objects. cobalt, and yellow. Several Fostoria molds
The New Martinsville Glass Co. went bankrupt during the were reintroduced as well, but the new
depression in the late 1930s, but given its location being close to the lines couldn’t compete with cheap
resources needed to create quality glass, investors with the Silver Glass imports and more luxurious hand-blown
Company of Meriden, Connecticut purchased the company in 1938. glass, and in 1998 the Company closed
its doors for good. Its demise ended a
Mid-Century, Here Comes Viking! century of glassmaking tradition … but
The company reopened as New Martinsville Glass Co., and in 1944 soon started collectors’ appreciation for
the company was restructured and renamed the Viking Glass Company Viking’s colorful molded glass.
(due to the popular Scandinavian glass that was encroaching on the Today, Viking Glass is popular among
market), with crystal glass dominating its production during the war art glass collectors who love its unique
years. The Company launched a full-scale ad campaign promoting its colors, Scandinavian modern vibe, and
patriotism with ads that boasted “Handmade in America” and “For use affordability. Viking Glass can typically
in American Homes.” be found at antique shops, flea markets,
According to Dean Six thrift stores, and glass shows, in many
in the book Mid-Century Viking Glass Epic Line Rooster cases at bargain-basement prices. A search
Glass in America, “Viking online on sites such as eBay, Ruby Lane,
was one of the largest and etsy.com finds the average price for vintage Viking at about $35.
and most prolific producers In most cases Viking used paper labels, not marks, to identify its
of American glass that products. Most of the labels on their glass are now long gone, leaving
embodied the Mid-century color as one of the few identifiers for buyers. Thankfully, the Company
Modern aesthetic.” The use started publishing catalogs of its product lines in the early 1960s.
of color in everything from Viking glass catalogs offer a wealth of information, including pattern
fashion to home decor was names, pictures of various pieces, and original prices to both identify
on-trend and in demand. and date a piece of Viking glass.
Capitalizing on the mid- To learn more about Viking Glass and to identify patterns, these books will
century sense of style, Viking prove useful: Viking Glass 1944-1970 by Dean Six; Beauty Is Glass From
introduced a burst of color Viking: A Story with Pictures About the Creation of America’s Hand Made
Double Bride’s Basket, c. 1905, into its product lines in 1951, Glass by Viking Glass, Viking Glass History by Preston Ver Meer, and Popular
New Martinsville Glass Company first with evergreen, amber, ‘50s & ‘60s Glass: Color Along the River by Leslie A. Piña.

28 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles