Glassware

I pick up a lot of vintage glassware. It goes with the gig.

Some of these are in constant rotation in my own household, some are in (or will go) in the shop, some I just pick up to use for a bit and resell online, because I can't just leave them behind.

Sometimes in photos the details aren't really discernible, glass being transparent and all. But all of these are handmade, the craftsmanship is noticeable when you hold it. After so many years of buying vintage glassware I can usually tell if something is worth getting just by picking it up, and as a matter of fact I've found some of my best glasses buying on a hunch.

If you do enjoy adult beverages it's worth it to pay attention to the delivery mechanism. When I say that using good glassware makes it better, just know that I speak from experience.

Hanging around the house today (from left to right):

"Linear" champagne & water glass, Rosenthal Studio-Line, Germany, 1963

"Canada" port & cordial glass, Per Lütken for Holmegaard, Denmark, 1955

"Ultima Thule" double old fashioned, old fashioned and extra large old fashioned, Tapio Wirkkala for iittala, Finland, 1968

"Varm/Kall" combo hot glögg/cordial glass, Lindau & Lindekrantz for Orrefors, Sweden, 1971 

"Skibsglas (Ship's Glass)" wine glass & cognac glass, Per Lütken for Holmegaard, Denmark, 1971

"Gaissa" double old fashioned, Tapio Wirkkala for iittala, Finland, 1973

"Kluk Kluk" decanter, an historic design repopularized by Holmegaard in the 1950s

"Princess" cognac glass, Bent Severin for Kastrup/Holmegaard, Denmark, 1957

"Aarne" cocktail glass, Göran Hongell for iittala, Finland, 1948

"No. 5" whiskey glass, Per Lütken for Holmegaard, Denmark, 1970

"Tsaikka" hot beverage glass, Timo Sarpaneva for iittala, Finland, 1957

Exotic Wood

An unexpectedly satisfying week at the thrift stores. Thanks February.

Clockwise from upper left: Part of a set of really hip cocktail glasses from an unknown manufacturer, but basically a stemmed version of the Libbey St. Regis cocktail glass; sitting on a stack of Brazilian rosewood veneer chargers from Japan.

Dansk Kobenstyle pot in white; on top of a Dansk Rare Woods tray, this one in Mutenye wood. It wasn't free, but it wasn't expensive, and only the second time I've discovered Rare Wood in the wild. The other time was a rosewood ice bucket with a poorly repaired split top for $500 at an estate sale, which needless to say neither I nor anyone else bought.

A set of Sasaki Handcrafted rocks glasses, most with labels, surprisingly undamaged and complete at the Salvation Army. Those of you who thrift know what a miracle this is.

Rounding out the exotic woods, two teak bar boards from Den Permanente, the legendary Danish design store in Copenhagen.

Source Material

The old Playboy buying/gift guides from the 60s and 70s are some of the highlights of the magazine, and early on were part of the inspiration for the first Hugh pop up. The products were vetted, the styling was straightforward, and for a lover of vintage stuff there is always something cool to see.

Take, for example, this bar gear guide from 1961. A Dansk Fjord bar tool set was $15 (about $120 today if you trust the consumer price inflation calculator). Dunhill had some pretty hip silverplate bar accessories with that 8 inch cocktail jigger and tapered cocktail shaker. And Raymor was selling a streamlined martini pitcher I'd be happy to stumble on today.

A Sterling Reputation

The warm metallic glow of vintage silverplate is really cool.  The quadruple-plated loving cup ($34), the Italian "Honor" water pitcher ($40) and the silverplate-over-copper martini pitcher ($36) are the hot finds this month.

That's the Jonathan Adler Lady Pillow in the background.  And yes, you can see her muffuletta.