“It is true that among buyers 60-80, glass is no longer on their active buying list, which is reinforced by the Survey results. Ironically, these were the collectors that at the turn of the millennia were driving the market for antique glass. As a generation of ardent collectors, they did the foundation research, shared their knowledge with fellow collectors, and wrote the resource books on the history of 29th to mid-20th century glass makers and manufacturing companies in America. They formed collector clubs across the country, put on shows and sales, documented their finds, and preserved provenance. Among their collections reside rare, complete, and best examples of their subjects of interest for the benefit of future generations of collectors.

In the bigger context of the changing antiques marketplace, I would suggest that the primary reason for this decline in glass buying among 60-80 year-old buyers of antiques has less to do with their waning interest in collecting than the physical down-sizing of their lives, and the amount of space a glassware collection can take up. Collectors in this age category tend to be ready to thin out their collection to accommodate a change in living space or sell off items to fund their retirement after typically decades of active collecting. Most long-time collectors will tell you that only something elusive, rare or highly desirable brings them to market these days.”

“If I look at the glass market as half full, I would say interest in era-based collecting among younger buyers and an excessive inventory that makes building a new collection affordable only bodes well for the future of antique and vintage glass.

While what and who is collected may change, the resilience of glass will stand the test of time, and continue to be valued as a material expression and reflection of the era in which it was made. For collectors and glass lovers, we celebrate, once again, the never-ending stories, history, objects, and makers behind the allure of American antique and vintage glass.

Maxine Carter-Lome, Publisher” page 6.