When I began this series about identifying glass hen-on-nest covered dishes, I naturally focused on vintage examples.
However, not every traditionally styled glass hen is vintage.
Mosser Glass is still producing pressed glass in Cambridge, Ohio, including its familiar 7-inch Hen on Basket. The company also makes animal figures, decorative lamps and many other forms that can look at home beside much older collectible glass.
That does not make newly produced Mosser glass inferior, fake or undesirable. It simply means collectors and sellers should not rely on an old-fashioned design, an opaque color or an iridescent finish as proof of age.
Disclosure: This post contains paid links to eBay. As an eBay Partner, I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through these links.
Why Mosser Matters to Vintage Glass Shoppers
When shopping online, I often see newly made glass described as “vintage style,” “Depression style” or simply “vintage.”
Some of these pieces are inexpensive imports. Others are genuine American-made pieces from a company such as Mosser Glass that continues to use traditional pressed-glass methods and designs.
I do not think there is anything wrong with enjoying a newly made glass hen, fairy lamp or covered animal dish. Modern glass can be beautiful, collectible and well made.
The problem arises when its age or maker is described inaccurately.
A newly made Mosser hen is still genuine Mosser Glass. It just should not automatically be represented as a decades-old vintage piece.
A Brief History of Mosser Glass
The Mosser family’s glassmaking history is connected to the Cambridge Glass Company.
According to the company’s history, Orie Mosser worked as the plant manager at Cambridge Glass, where his son Thomas learned the glass trade. After Cambridge Glass closed in 1954, Thomas Mosser began collecting molds and equipment with the goal of establishing his own business.
He began manufacturing glassware in 1959 and established Mosser Glass in 1971. The company describes its product line as a mixture of new designs and classic molds acquired from companies including Cambridge Glass, Viking and L.G. Wright.
Mosser Glass remains family operated and continues to manufacture glassware in Cambridge, Ohio.
That combination of newer designs and historically familiar molds helps explain why some Mosser pieces can look considerably older than they are.
Mosser Glass Still Makes Hens on Baskets
Mosser’s current animal collection includes a 7-inch Hen on Basket in the same general category as its bunnies, birds, turkeys and other pressed-glass animals. The colors and availability may change, but the form remains part of Mosser’s modern product catalog.
Mosser has also promoted newly produced hens through its official social-media account. One company post, for example, announced a Dandelion-colored Hen on Basket in several sizes.
This is important for vintage shoppers because a Mosser hen found at an antique mall, boutique, estate sale or online marketplace may be:
- An older Mosser production piece
- A more recently produced Mosser piece
- A current color or limited production run
- A genuine Mosser piece described with an incorrect age
- A similar-looking hen made by another company
The appearance of the glass alone may not answer the question.
Modern Does Not Mean “Fake”
I think it is worth making a distinction between a modern piece and a fake piece.
Mosser is a longstanding American glass company making genuine Mosser products. A recently made Mosser hen is not pretending to be something else simply because its design looks traditional.
The confusion usually occurs later, when the piece enters the resale market and its original label, box or purchase information is lost. A seller may assume that opaque green glass is old jadeite, or that a carnival finish must date from the height of carnival-glass production.
Sometimes an incorrect identification is then copied from one listing to another.
Knowing that Mosser is still in operation gives shoppers an important reason to pause before assigning an age.
Mosser Makes More Than Hens
Hens are especially relevant to this series, but they represent only one part of Mosser’s production.
The company continues to offer animal figures, tableware, cake stands, barware and decorative lighting. Its current lamps category includes decorative night lights, while official Mosser social posts also use the term fairy light for smaller collectible forms.
For example, Mosser has produced a limited-edition Owl Fairy Light using original Viking Glass molds. That is a perfect example of how a newly manufactured object can have a strong mid-century or vintage-glass appearance.
Collectors may use the terms fairy lamp, fairy light, glimmer light and night light somewhat interchangeably, although the original company or mold owner may have used a particular product name.
My Mosser Mini Cat on Basket
My own Mosser example is not a hen. It is a small cat-on-basket salt cellar in pale, jadeite-colored glass.
I purchased it at a boutique-style store without being completely certain who made it. Its traditional form and opaque green color gave it a vintage appearance, but those qualities alone were not enough to identify it.
The best clue was hidden inside the base.
A specialized Mosser cat reference identifies this form as the #235 Mini Cat on Basket, a small covered salt cellar. The reference documents the maker’s mark on the inside bottom of the basket rather than on the visible exterior underside.
That location is easy to overlook.
The Outside Bottom Appears Unmarked
When the base is turned upside down, I do not see an obvious Mosser name or logo.
The exterior has molded ribs and a scalloped border, but the flat area on the bottom appears unmarked.
Someone inspecting only the outside bottom might reasonably assume that the piece has no maker’s mark.
Look Inside the Base for the Mosser Mark
Inside the bottom of the basket is a small molded M surrounded by the outline of Ohio.
Collector references document two marks on this miniature covered cat form:
- An older underlined M
- A newer M inside the outline of Ohio
My example has the M-in-Ohio version.
The mark confirms Mosser as the manufacturer. It does not, by itself, provide a precise production year.
That is an important distinction. A maker’s mark may identify who produced an object without proving exactly when that particular example was made.
What to Check When Researching Mosser Glass
When I encounter a possible Mosser piece, I would examine more than its color and overall style.
Useful clues include:
- Molded marks on the inside as well as the outside
- Original foil or paper labels
- Packaging and retailer information
- Measurements and mold details
- Current and archived Mosser catalogs
- Official company product pages and social posts
- Documented colors and limited production runs
- Whether the same form is still being manufactured
Mosser currently provides an online catalog, product collections and a retail price list. Those resources can be just as important as older identification books when determining whether a piece may be recent.
Be Careful With Online Age Claims
An online listing title is a starting point, not proof.
Before purchasing a Mosser hen, fairy lamp or covered animal dish described as vintage, I would look for:
- A clear photograph of the maker’s mark
- Photographs of both pieces and every side
- Exact measurements
- Information about where and when it was acquired
- Any original box, sticker or paperwork
- Evidence that the color and mold were produced during the claimed period
A seller may be entirely sincere and still be mistaken.
The market has become crowded with vintage pieces, modern American glass, inexpensive imports and new “vintage-style” décor. Those categories can all coexist, but they should not be treated as interchangeable.
Shopping for Mosser Glass
Because Mosser pieces can come from different production periods, I would not filter an eBay search to pre-owned items only. Newer and older examples are both useful for comparison.
Browse Mosser Glass hens, fairy lamps and covered animal dishes currently available on eBay.
Paid eBay link. Review each seller’s photographs, measurements, marks and age claims carefully.
A Traditional Appearance Does Not Prove Age
Mosser Glass is an important company for vintage collectors to recognize precisely because it is not a closed glasshouse from the past.
It is a living American glass company that continues to make traditional pressed-glass forms.
A new Mosser hen can be beautiful and collectible. A modern fairy light can come from an authentic vintage mold. A jadeite-colored cat can be genuine Mosser without being an antique.
The goal is not to dismiss modern glass. It is to understand what we are looking at and describe it accurately.
That knowledge helps collectors appreciate both the older pieces and the glass that is still being made today.
You must be logged in to post a comment.