The Dilemma

Steve Skalsky of Chandler, AZ says about Symposium side bar conversation:

In asking what to do with their collection others mentioned they were Donating (Museum or Institute), sending to an auction house, passing down to a family member or friend (have I mentioned I consider you all my friends) or, as Bonnie has pointed out, keep it longer and enjoy, realizing we are all just “caretakers”.

Here’s what some of you have shared with me:

Donate: This is an exceptional way to keep the collection together and let others appreciate Carder Steuben glass, all under one “roof”. Some will also admire the time and effort you put into acquiring the collection. There is a cost associated with this, as we heard and witnessed at the symposium – the cost to the receiving institution to maintain, display or store the glass. You may be asked to provide a grant to the institution to offset this cost. Some institutions already have a large inventory of glass as Bonnie pointed out, and it may only be displayed every so often. The suggestion from others is to interview/evaluate more than one potential institution and share with them your intention and wishes and see what they intend to do with the glass. If you have a favorite museum, alma mater or charity, Bonnie also pointed out another option is to sell the collection and donate the proceeds. While we have heard of museums turning down glass, we haven’t heard of any turning away cash.

Auction House: There are many auction house, some that specialize in fine glass. There is typically a charge by the auction house (I’ve heard approximately 20%). Some say this is negotiable depending on the size of the collection or possibly less for exceptional pieces. These are questions to be discussed with the auction house, as there are other intangibles including possible photo costs for publications and the publications themselves. I suppose the fee also depends on how the glass is delivered to the auction house. The Creechs choose this route and from what I heard it was a celebration for the passing of the “guard”. A group of perfume collectors met and enjoyed the auction together and the Creechs got to see their special collection go to others, knowing the pieces will be cherished with their new families. Very commendable.

Note: I understand if the pieces are insured by your insurance company, once they leave your house to ship to the auction house the pieces typically are no longer covered by your insurance carrier, so you may want to discuss this with your agent and the auction house. For more valuable pieces, consider taking multiple, different angled pictures prior to shipping and packaging the piece. If damage occurs, this may help define when. Along this line, more information about the more valuable pieces is probably appreciated by the auction house. Knowing and supplying shapes, colors, patterns, etc. all may benefit you and the auction house.

Keeping the Collections/Documentation: As I said earlier, I too, like Bonnie, enjoy my collection and look at each piece and each piece talks to me, perhaps a thrill of acquiring, the craftsmanship, or just the artistic beauty of the piece.

It was interesting to see and hear at the symposium how museums catalog the collection. I thought of my collection and was thinking what should I be doing for my family in the event something happened to me and I couldn’t relay information on the pieces to them? I liked the idea one museum mentioned of using nail polish and acrylic pencil to create some type of identification under the foot/base. I think of the piece Ruth shared with us that had no documented line drawing and thought how would my family know this about this piece. My first piece I bought has a small repaired ding in the base, that I should probably document, so whoever disposes of my collection realizes its value will be reduced, possibly significantly. Maybe I should start documenting my more expensive pieces so they know what they are. I also have several non-Steuben pieces in my curios (forgive me Mr. Carder, Mr. Gardner and Marshall) that I should probably identify so, again, others will know what it is or isn’t.

Another option is direct selling on the internet. Maybe others can share their experiences and enlighten us on the options and what to expect?

Thanks to all those who contacted me one way or another and shared the above. I should probably go to the hobby store and pick up the materials and get busy marking them. A great excuse to take the glass out and handle it.