Glass Canes and Battons;

[RED Matthews]

I got started in this category of collecting a good fifty years ago, because I purchased one and read about the fact that these were made as a whimsey sort of thing in a lot of Early American Glass Houses for use in patriotic parades. In my searching I found that the Clyde Glass Company in Clyde NY made a lot of them. I also bought one that I was told by a local Horseheads NY owner that it was made in an early glass house in Elmira Heights, NY. Later on I ended up with some more that were made by a man named Schmidt. I ended up with some canes that he had made, in a purchase from the Wheaton Museum. I was told about them being quite common and found a man in Ohio that had a collection of several hundred of them which hung on the ceiling of his collection building. I thought it was scary to walk around under them kept in that area. One of my canes has a cork finish. I was told that they often did have this, so the cane could be filled with whiskey before the parade, and then drank it after the parade, and threw against a building after that.I found a really long ( almost 20 ft long hanging over a bar in Port Alleganey PA. I was told it was also made by a man named Schmidt. I also heard that this man ended up in northern Texas. If anyone knows any reference to these early canes, I would appreciate hearing about the reference.RED Matthews

 

[bubbas dad]

got any pictures? sounds very interesting.

 

[glass man]

COOL! Would love to see pics. too..20ft?WOW!!! JAMIE

 

[Road Dog]

I got some info somewhere's on them. I'll look. I'll post a pic of a cane I have.

 

[Road Dog]

My Cane

 

[Road Dog]

PM me your email Red and I'll send you some scanned stuff.

 

[bubbas dad]

thanks for the picture. very interesting.

 

[RED Matthews]

I haven't figured this system out yet. It wouldn't let me reply to any of them. My email is bottlemysteries@yahoo.net and/or red777matt@aol.com I will have to get my camera working to send any pictures of the canes or anything of interest. I am having trouble getting the computer to work the way I think it should. My better half thinks it is my age, need for glasses. or "??" My most recent was a bottle and four double shot glasses made of a neat green glass that was blown in pre-heated steel body wraps that would have to been pre-heated to keep them from checking the glass. I know some one had a write up on these products a few yeas ago, but I cant find the reference. I also have a couple early decanters made with the metal bands on the body. After moving last year, there are a lot of things missing or miss-placed ( whoever she is??? )RED Matthews.

 

[goodman1966]

Red, I make canes as a hobby. Mostly ceder, walnut and what're ever I can find that has the right shape. I sell a few and give the rest as gifts. But I have to say that is one of the most beautiful prices of glass I have ever seen!

 

[RED Matthews]

Well that cane looks like a solid glass one. I would have to go back and see who sent it - but someone sent me a series of prints about glass cane history and I had to forward his email to my grand son who got them printed off for me and they are great information - especially regarding the history of canes. I'm 84 now and use a cane with 4-feet in the house, a better one in the car for shopping etc. when were out, and a metal one for walking the dog. The one I have with the cork finish is the best. And I have a blog started to show all of them off. It facinates me to realize that the glass maker had to gather a gob of glass on his blow pipe and stick patties of colored glass around the ball and then let the colored buttons stretch into the collored stripes on the cane, as he lett the cane drop and twist the color strips all the way down them as long as the glass gather held out. The rate of drop made the cane taper and it blows my mind to think that it took two men to make that big long one, with the blower on the second floor level. I just get enthusiastic when I evaluate what the early glass blowers were able to do. What a medial glass is and how man has used it since the original beads of Egypt and the Obsidian used for arrow and spear heads. What a great life glass study - work - and collecting glass has given me. RED Matthews