A.H. Heisey Creamer and Sugar Bowl Set or Trio

Vintage Heisey Clear Glass Silver Overlay Sugar Bowl Trio

Indulge in elegance with the A.H. Heisey Creamer and Sugar Bowl Set. Crafted from vintage glass, each piece features a stunning silver overlay, adding a touch of luxury to your tea or coffee. Elevate your dining experience with this timeless trio from A.H. Heisey.

A. H. Heisey & Company History

Augustus H. Heisey was born in Hanover, Germany, on August 25, 1842, and emigrated to America with his family in 1843. They settled in Merrittown, Pennsylvania, where he attended school. 

In 1861 he began his lifelong career in the glass industry by taking a job as a clerk with the King Glass Company of Pittsburgh.

On August 21, 1862, he enlisted in the 155th Pennsylvania Infantry and fought with the Union Army during the Civil War. At the war’s end, he had been promoted to Captain of Company C.

After his discharge in June, 1865 he returned to his position with the King Company but a short time later joined the Ripley Glass Company as a salesman. It was here that he earned his reputation of “the best glass salesman on the road.”

A. H. Heisey died in 1922, and after his death, his son, E. Wilson Heisey, became president. He was responsible for most of the colored Heisey glass which is so popular among today’s collectors. Some colored glass had been made earlier, but first pastel colors, and later, deeper ones such as tangerine and cobalt, were in their heyday during the twenties and early thirties. When E. Wilson Heisey died in 1942, colored glass had all but disappeared from the market.

T. Clarence Heisey became president of A. H. Heisey & Co. in 1942. The war years curtailed the glass industry considerably. During the forties and fifties, the famous Heisey figurines were made. There was some resurrection of colored glass in the last few years. By this time foreign competition was taking its toll and many glass companies were once more in trouble. Increasing costs and other problems led to the company’s demise. When Heisey closed the doors for Christmas vacation in 1957, they never opened again except to sell out the existing stock.

The old factory still stands today but the proud smokestacks with their Diamond H’s are gone, and little is left to remind one of those glorious years when the “Finest in Glassware” was being made in Newark.

The Imperial Glass Corporation of Bellaire, Ohio, bought the existing molds from Heisey in 1958. They have used only a small portion of them, mostly patterns being made to fill existing orders when Heisey closed. Prior to January 1, 1968, part of this glass was still being made with the Heisey mark, but at that time, Imperial announced that they would no longer use it. Imperial Glass went out of business in 1984 and all of its assets were sold by liquidation in 1985. The Heisey Collectors of America organization was fortunate to be able to purchase most of the existing Heisey molds formerly in the possession of Imperial.

Heisey owed its beauty to an excellent glass formula, high quality raw materials, and to the way it was finished–fire polishing and grinding and polishing the bottoms of most pieces. Glass made today is heavier, duller, and not ordinarily as well finished on the bottom, and is inclined to have sags in it. A careful study should enable any collector to tell the difference.