Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Dr. Isadore Cohn of Metarie, Louisiana passes this along.

You spread the news about the end of Steuben as such long before the N Y Times ran an article on or about Sept 15.

After your first notice, there were all kinds of additional documents about where Steuben was being made from the time Corning sold it, and whether or not it was a U S product, etc. I do not remember seeing any specific answers that could be traced to an authoritative source.

I believe I have some information that should prove interesting to those who have been curious.

Within the past week a very close friend who has known about my interest in Steuben brought me a present, which I was delighted to have. As I unwrapped the present, the typical, easily identifiable, grey Steuben box came into view. When I opened the box, there was one of the new hand coolers that I would call a “Cupcake”. but which Steuben elected to name “Celebrate”. I expressed my appreciation because of the friends from whom it came, and because they had remembered my interest in Steuben.

Later as I looked more carefully, I made several discoveries which I believe will settle in the minds of others what had become of Steuben. It has become a part of our collection for reasons which are both interesting and sad.

For all its resemblance to the usual gray Steuben box, there is one essential difference – there is a paste-on bar-code label which clearly says “Made in Portugal”.

The glass has two more tell-tale marks: a small paste-on label that says “Made in Portugal” and much more importantly, the identifying “Steuben” is laser-incised in perfect standard type-face.

Times change – sad.

Isidore Cohn, Jr.

www.cardersteubenclub.org

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2012 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 20-22, 2012.