Posted by I was perusing my neighborhood thrift store Friday morning and struggling–nothing was good enough or priced to resell. We all know that feeling. And you’ve heard this before but thrift store prices definitely keep going up, up, up. And honestly, I can’t fault them. They have costs too and money to raise for programs. Still, it can be a shocker at times picking up a worn “nothing special”1960s silver plate tray priced at $14.09 or a generic leather purse for $22.49.
So I was all set to walk out empty handed, again, and then I spotted a glass apple on my third time down the clear glass aisle. Hmmm. Okay a glass apple. Kinda cool. I picked it up. Gosh it was super heavy, felt good in the hand and was beautifully clear.
I flipped it over and found an acid-etched maker’s mark for Steuben. Holy smokes!!! Steuben glass. This was good. Really good.
Inside I was screaming “Yes, yes, yes!”
I grew up just a few hours away from Corning, NY, the home to Corning Glass Works. I remember a few visits to their beautiful museum as a child.
Steuben was founded in 1903 by renowned English glass master Frederick Carder, who named it for the New York State county where the town of Corning is located. In 1918, Steuben (pronounced with the accent on the last syllable) became part of Corning Glass Works, now Corning Incorporated.
In 1933, Steuben created a prismatic crystal formula that could capture, reflect and refract light unlike anything else in the world. Since that moment, Steuben crystal has illuminated everything it touches, casting light on the joys of everyday life.
Steuben.com
Steuben glass is coveted and collectible and some pieces command $$$$$. Here are some older stunning vases…
Some of the current clear glass pieces on the Steuben website…
Of course the question now is what is a fair market value for my apple? Sold and current listed prices are all over the place. Here are a few of the current listings…
So I’m not sure what I’ll list mine for yet. But I can say it was so exciting for me to find a piece of Steuben glass in the wild at my tiny local thrift store. And so unexpected. This is one of the reasons I love this biz. Why I haunt thrift stores, estate sales and the like…for finds like this.
Now if I can just get my Etsy sales back on track!!
Wishing you happy hunting,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 
That’s nice! I’d have missed the signature, looking at the price and putting it back down! Of course, I only buy what I want to keep, for the most part. It’s pretty as a paperweight.
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Hi Lisa. It was pretty exciting finding that signature! I know someone will love it!
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