Steuben Signatures and Forgeries

The acid etched Fleur-de-lis signature was used over the whole Carder era from 1903 until 1933.

The block letter signature was used over the whole Carder era from 1903 until 1933.

The script acid etched signature was used from about 1928 to 1932.

The Hand Wrought signature is quite rare and is usually found on colorless glass that is often engraved. It is usually found on Steuben with shapes numbers larger than about 6000.

This acid etched signature is not seen often. Do not mistake the acid etched Sinclaire S in a wreath signature for this one.

When the acid etched Fleur-de-lis is used on glass with a matte finish a spot on the glass is often chemically polished before the Fleur-de-lis is applied. The signature shown here is on a Florentia candlestick.

Acid Etched Steuben pieces could be signed in various ways. The more common acid etched signatures were often used. In addition sometimes the Fleur-de-lis was included as a part of the etched pattern. When this was done the signature was usually located low on the side of the piece, not on the bottom.

The Fleur-de-lis signature is often used on the fitter rim of a lamp shade. It is an aluminum ink and is stamped on the glass. This type of signature was easily damaged or washed off.

When Ivrene was signed it was signed with an engraved “Steuben”. Acid etched signatures will not be found on Ivrene.

A number of paper labels were used on Steuben. The most common was a gold triangular label shown here. Paper labels were easily washed off over the years and are not particularly common now.

This paper label was common. It was often used as a price tag.

This label is being used to identify the glass. The 1074 is the shape number and the 6 is the height in inches. Below the number is V.D.S. which describes the glass.

This is an example of an oval paper label with the script signature.

A paper label that is now rare was used on some pieces of Steuben that were sold to Haviland & Co. The label says “AURENEGLASS” though the center. In an arc across the top it says “Controlled By” and in a arc across the bottom “Haviland & Co. NY”. Steuben made glass for Haviland from about 1910 to 1915.

A more common Haviland signature is paint stamped. The material is similar to the ink used on shades and is easily washed off. These signatures were used from about 1910 to 1915.

Steuben sometimes used a Corning Glass Works acid etched mark on products such as luminors and plaques. The Edison plaque will often be found with this mark.

A special engraved signature was used on Intarsia and a few other rare pieces. It was applied as a part of the production process and Mr. Carder did not engrave the signature himself. This signature is also moderately easy to forge.

After Frederick Carder retired collectors would sometimes bring him a piece to authenticate. When he did so he would often sign the piece using an hand held motor driven engraving tool. If the piece were an Aurene he would sign it “Aurene F. Carder” and if the piece were other than an Aurene he would sign it “Steuben F. Carder”. Note that this signature is fairly easy to forge.