Early Heisey Advertisements

by Virginia Scott
Rainbow Review Glass Journal - October 1973

I've been spending lots of time with the old magazines at the library and have found more than 20 early Heisey ads. The earliest a shown at left (Heisey ads reproduced by permission Imperial Glass Corporation).

Heisey ad Heisey ad I first learned about Heisey glass at an estate auction a few years ago. The auctioneer held up a beautiful stemmed fruit bowl and announced: "This is marked Heisey." I asked the buyer to show me the trademark and he pointed out the H enclosed in a diamond in the bottom of the bowl. (The ad at right tells us to "Look for the Diamond H on every piece.") I have since gathered more information by bits and pieces from many sources.

A. H. Heisey & Company operated in Newark, Ohio, from 1895 to 1956. In 1958, Imperial Glass Corporation. Bellaire, Ohio, acquired the Heisey molds, trademarks and patents. The Diamond H trademark was registered in 1901 and can be found embossed into much of the Heisey glassware. Other trademarks and paper labels were used also. Through the years the Heisey company produced an outstandingly fine line of glassware which is noted for its beauty of design and its brilliance and clarity. For the entire life of the factory, each piece was individually handcrafted, molded and processed.

Heisey ads appeared regularly in House and Garden, House Beautiful and Country Life during 1912 to 1915. There were some ads in the 1920s and 30s, but the peak was reached in the l940s. Each early ad shows the trademark often incorporated in a sort of chain design in some portion of the ad (see both examples) and the glass is referred to as "Heisey's Diamond H Glassware." Most ads show an assortment of pieces, from bowls to vases, but there are also ads for ash trays, sugar and cream sets, syrup jugs and even an "Electro-Portable" lamp. Many patterns are illustrated, the most popular ones being No. 3OO, 333, 341, 353, and 393, and one ad shows No. 433 "Greek Key." The ads claim that the glass "is the brightest, clearest and best of all glassware," that it is guaranteed, "when used under like conditions to last twice as long as ordinary glassware," and "quality and durability considered, is lower in price than any other glassware." One ad summed it all up nicely with this statement: "So beautiful you will be proud to use it on special occasions; so durable you can use it every day; so inexpensive you can go today and buy it."

Those early ad writers were at least partly right. Much of that durable "Heisey's Diamond H Glassware" has survived the rigors of hard use and in 1973 that "brightest, clearest and best of all glassware" occupies a place of honor in the cabinet of many happy collectors who, indeed, are "proud to use it on (very) special occasions." But inexpensive? Easy to find? Well ...