Collecting Clear Glass Examples of Art Glass Shakers

By Scott Beale

Note: This article on clear shakers appeared in the April-June 2012 issue of “The Pioneer.” More clear shakers from other AGSSSC members were published in the July 2012 issue. This article with additional clear or frosted shakers is added here as examples of the ways our members collect (and display) their shakers.

Along the way of collecting the shaker we all love, I have sometimes come across a familiar patern in clear glass. Often these pieces are lost in a large gathering of clear glass shakers and are easily overlooked. It’s not totally unusual to find clear glass examples of colored glass shakers, but the examples I’m presenting are just much harded to find, are rather rare, and alot of looking can go into finding just one. I’ve been collecting shakers since 1994, and I’ve only found a handful…I wonder how many are hiding in collections out there!

Some of these pieces are found in clear shiny glass and others are found in clear frosted glass. A combination of the two types can make a most impressive display. What’s so hard about finding clear examples of colored or art glass shakers? As said before, it’s not unusual to find clear glass examples of EAPG shakers, usually geometric type patterns. In fact, there are probably more clear glass examples in that group. There are also patterns out there that have been produced in both opaque and clear versions, are a regular production type, and are not what I am referring to, either. I am talking about pattern glass pieces that are usually found in cased glass, opaque glass, or other types of art glass.

Why do there seem to be so few of these clear glass examples? Maybe the line was not as popular? Some of the more unusual pieces I have found are the Acorn, Forget-Me-Not, Leaf Umbrella, and New Martinsville Many Petals. There is even a clear frosted complete condiment set in the FMN–very p;retty in that color…or lack thereof!

Other clear shakers out there include Consolidated’s Florette and various corn/maize patterns. If a manufacturer made one pattern in clear, they may have made other patterns in clear, yet to be discovered. Like all collecting, that is what makes the hunting such fun. It would be interesting to build a database of clear or frosted examples of art glass shakers to add to mine. It would be interesting to see how many others are out there to be documented.