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Next Auction June 29th
Our next auction will be June 29th at 8AM.
Thursday 18 June 2009 - 09:46:43 by QuintinPosted in Misc | |
Clevenger Brothers - Clayton, NJ
Clayton, New Jersey
Gloucester County Historical site #87
The three Clevenger Brothers first opened Clevenger Brothers Glass works at the corner of Linden and Vine Street in Clayton, New Jersey in 1927. Their financial backing and motivation at the time came from collector and South Jersey glass historical Ernest Stanmire who pointed the Clevenger’s in the direction of reasonably priced 19th century reproduction-free blown glass. The company started with a single, one pot furnace and continued in expansion of employees, product and equipment until the 1950’s.
The Clevenger induction into the glass industry started about the mid 1850’s with William (the father) working at the Batsto furnace making window glass. With the loss of the Batsto in 1867 the family moved to Clayton where William and his three sons found work at Moore Brothers glass. As customary of the time the three sons also found work with the same company doing menial task. Reportedly, Allie the youngest worked as a “carry in boy” at about age seven. Moore Brothers closed prior to WWI leaving the Clevengers to find glass work wherever it might have been available.
After opening Clevenger Brothers they began by creating fine quality free blown glass colonial design glass. There catalog included Lily Pad footed bowls, pitchers, finger bowls, vases and later a quantity of blown mold souvenir glass and utilitarian glassware. Common colors include primarily emerald greens, violet, sapphire, and ruby. By the 1950’s Clevenger Brothers were in full production adding more equipment and employees. Several noted blowers were Ottis Coleman (childhood friend to Aillie), Harry and Percy Britton, August Hoffbauer and several others.
Clevenger copied several designs from Whitney and Whithall Tatum including the Jenny Lynn calabash, Booze bottle, log cabin bottle, Washington bottle, Fislerville and hundreds more.
After the death of Allie, the last remaining Clevenger gaffer, his widow married William Bower an investor and a person who had prior experience in the glass industry, kept the factory operating. By 1964 due the lack of qualified glass blowers and dwindling demand Clevenger Brothers was closed. For two years the factory stood idle with all of the equipment intact. In 1966 the factory was purchased by James Travis who reopened producing fine quality commemoratives and bottles continuing the use of the Clevenger name and tradition they had created.
By 1999 Clevenger’s closed forever. The factory now is in shambles with the roof and walls disintegrating.
We are pleased and fortunate being able to offer at Public Auction the remaining glass equipment, tools, and pipes originally used by Tom Reno and Allie Clevenger at our June 29, 2009 sale. Also, will be included is a portion of the new-old stock which was warehoused in the company house adjoining the Clevenger factory.
Ref.: Glass Gaffers of Southern New Jersey
Offered from the original factory, approximately 120 original Clevenger molds including: Large & small camphor jugs, Whitney mold, numerous commemorative molds, Demijohn, Coke bottle, Clevenger bottle vase, Old Clevenger pushup, lg. squat pitcher, Ayerst French pill bottle, Goblet glass, Grape goblet, Pepsi Cola, whiskey bottle, flask, Statue of Liberty, Indent vase, Hobnail bottle and dish, stopper, 10” and 6” ball, Stoddard mold for vase, Fislerville, small and squat creamers, bulls eye, eagle & grape, and etc.
Rare 19th Century manual bottle press, Clevenger’s finishing wheel, several Clevenger wood foundry molds, 2 original Clevenger’s gaffers chairs, glass rubbing stone, several blow pipes, new old stock from Clevenger’s original warehouse including 150 aqua swirl bottles, 100 Ben Franklin banks, 200 amethyst jugs with applied handles, 100 cobalt pitchers, dozens of brown texture bottles, dozens of commemorative bottles, etc., original Clevenger Bros. Glass Wk. sign, early photos of August Hoffbauer at Clevenger’s.
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Now that may be easy to understand to someone who has been to auctions before, but maybe not to your average person. Our main business is estate auctions. When someone passes away the family needs to dispose of the items in that persons home. Rather than having a yard sale or giving it away, the family calls us. We take a look at the items the family is looking to get rid of and we tell them if auction is the appropriate way to go or not.
One thing I tell people is that since we do mostly estate work, anything that you would find in a house, you will eventually find here. Anything. From 18th century furniture, to pots and pans, tools, collectibles, vehicles, jewelry, and everything in between. We get it all.
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Friday 30 March 2007 - 11:27:19 by QuintinPosted in Misc | |