I was saddened to learn of the passing of Lon Knickerbocker, who had been ill for some time, but fought the fight. Lon and I went back a long way. He became a regular customer when I started as a dealer but our relationship ended up working both ways.

Both Lon and I tried to accommodate our “regular” customers. One year during setup at the Westchester Glass Club show I purchased several 2680 Sherbets and Underplates in Calcite with a Mirror Black rim , an extremely rare combination.

When the show opened Lon came to my booth, saw them and wanted to purchase all of them. I insisted that I had to keep one for Jim Sutterfield, a mutual customer who collected this form. I finally sold Lon several of these including one for Jim, who Lon would see before I would. Jim was pleased to get this item. That’s what I mean by dealers accommodating our customers.

Although he had some outstanding Carder Steuben, more often than not our conversation was about Glass Whimseys, which we both collected.We were just as likely to compete for a Glass Cane as for an unusual piece of Steuben, and Carder-period Whimseys were a favorite for both of us. He was a friend and competitor with an excellent eye. He will be missed.

David Goldstein