I used to like to troll ebay and buy glasses with unknown etches.  I had the fun of trying to identify them, and then trying to sell or gift them (or keep them!).  The unknown etches are often a good buy and more affordable, given the currency conversion impact and the high costs of shipping.  I have stopped looking for glasses as I have too many and am trying to downsize.

However……I was doing something on ebay when I saw these.  I couldn’t figure out the etch from the photos, but the price was right and so thanks to the magic of Paypal  they recently made the journey from the U.S. to Canada.

I turned to my volumes of Florence’s Glassware Pattern Identification Guides to find this stem.  It is Seneca Glass’ line 1488, etch unidentified.

I don’t have any Seneca references.  But here is what Wikipedia has to say about the company:

“Seneca Glass Company was once the largest manufacturer of tumblers (drinking glasses) in the United States. The company was also known for its high-quality lead stemware, which was hand-made for nearly a century.

The firm’s first glass plant was located in Fostoria, Ohio. The company took possession of the plant on January 1, 1892, after it was vacated by the Fostoria Glass Company.

In 1896, the firm moved to Morgantown, West Virginia, and continued to produce high-quality decorated glassware. A second plant was built in 1911 to produce tumblers and less-elaborate ware.

In 1982, the company was sold to a group of investors that renamed the firm Seneca Crystal Incorporated. The firm filed for bankruptcy in 1983.”

I don’t know the age of these stems, but I am guessing Depression era or earlier.  They are pretty, stable (the base is a wider-than-usual 3 1/8 inches) with an attractive shape.