Made from 1936 until 1984 by the Imperial Glass Company of Bellaire, Ohio, Candlewick glass was one of the most popular tableware patterns ever made in America, and was a common wedding gift for decades. If anyone in your family got married in the 1930s, ’40s, or ’50s, chances are they received Candlewick dinner plates or serving pieces.

Highly Collectible
Recognized by its beaded edge, Candlewick was made in clear glass or colored, although clear was much more abundant. Today, Candlewick is highly collectible, with clear dinner plates selling for $10 to $25 each. Serving pieces include everything from heart-shaped candy dishes, fruit compotes, and divided relish dishes, to gravy boats and butter dishes, selling for as little as $5 for a small bowl up to $15,000 for a gilt-edged punch bowl set. Most serving pieces can be found for less than $200.

Family Heirlooms
Although young collectors are beginning to take an interest in Candlewick, many longtime aficionados started their collection with pieces handed down in their family. Howard Crane, of Hartford, Connecticut, is one such collector, with an array of 400 clear pieces. “We bring out the Candlewick for special occasions and there’s nothing quite like a table filled with it,” he says.

Auctions, Estate Sales, Antiques Shops, Online
Candlewick can be found at country auctions, estate sales, antiques shops, and online. Crane has watched the Candlewick offerings on the online auction site eBay for years and estimates that, at any given time, more than 10% of the items listed as Candlewick are actually copies made by other glass companies.

Reference Books, Web Sites
To learn more about Candlewick, good reference books include: Candlewick: The Crystal Line, by Myrna and Bob Garrison (Schiffer Book for Collectors, 2004); and Candlewick: The Jewel of Imperial, by Mary M. Wetzel-Tomalka (1995).

Two Web sites that offer good information and resources about Candlewick are: www.imperialglass.org (the Web site of the National Imperial Glass Collectors Society); and www.macc-candlewick.org (the Web site of the Michiana Association of Candlewick Collectors).

Photo courtesy of Rev Chi's Antiques, 324 N. Queen Street, Lancaster, PA.