If you’re searching for amberina glass to add to your collection, you’ll find that it is available in nearly every price range. You’re sure to find something that fits your budget. In this post, we’ll explore the prices and worth of various types of amberina glass.
Most amberina glass pieces are worth between $15 – $50 USD. However, certain types of amberina such as Blenko, those by L. E. Smith, and Fenton are worth between $200 USD to upwards of $1,000 USD or above, and other extremely rare designs can fetch several thousands of dollars.
What factors determine the worth of amberina glass? Read on to find out the answer to this and other questions about pricing amberina glass!
Is Amberina Glass Valuable?
It depends on the manufacturer, age of the piece, style of the piece, and rarity of the piece. Those by Libbey or the New England Glass Company are the most sought after and can be found priced at anywhere between $5,000 USD and $10,000 at auctions.
Amberina that is created in a more common style or more recently manufactured can be the most affordable option for adding pieces to your collection. However, many pieces produced that are considered mid-century modern may be newer than the rare pieces by Libbey/New England Glass but can be just as costly as they are produced by certain manufacturers and are rare in their styling.
Some of the rarest amberina glass and most valuable was produced by the L.E. Smith Glass Company. L.E. Smith was known more for milk glass, commemorative glass pieces, and novelty glass. Amberina was much less commonly produced by L.E. Smith, making it extremely valuable.
Blenko glass amberina pieces produced in the mid-20th century can also be extremely valuable depending on the style and/or creator of the piece. For example, a 1961 Blenko Wayne Husted amberina decanter sold on eBay for $1,170.93 (shipping not included) recently.
I found this beautiful Blenko amberina double spout pitcher in an antique store recently selling for $49.
Not far behind in price, a mid-century modern L.E. Smith amberina swung vase sold for $799.99 USD. Joel Myers for Blenko glass pieces are also sought after, one being priced at $468 USD. Some of the lowest priced pieces range from $5-$10 USD, which makes them much more affordable and a good price point at which to start a collection of amberina glass.
However, you’ll need to make sure that you’re purchasing an authentic amberina piece. See our blog for other posts about how you can identify amberina glass and how to spot the fakes.
Are Certain Types of Amberina Glass Worth More?
Definitely! And there’s no set criteria on what makes a piece more valuable. Based on observation, it seems that Libbey, New England Glass Company, Blenko, and L.E. Smith Glass Company are among the rarest, most valuable pieces being sold currently.
Amberina that doesn’t seem to be as popular in modern times are pieces such as ashtrays and large tabletop lighters, understandably so as smoking isn’t as popular as it once was. Those are priced much lower than, for example, vases and decanters. And, like most collectibles, the older pieces are the most difficult to find and will be among the most expensive to add to your collection. Oftentimes pieces by certain designers will be priced higher.
As an example, in my search I’ve found Blenko amberina pieces by Joel Myers and Wayne Husted to be much pricier than regular Blenko produced items.
Throughout this post, we’ve only discussed pricing for traditional amberina. What about reverse amberina or even bluerina? Believe it or not, this does make a difference in availability and worth!
Reverse amberina doesn’t seem to be as popular and there aren’t as many listings. One Fenton piece sold for $325 USD which was one of the highest priced items for reverse amberina. Most of these collectibles fetch $20-$50 USD on eBay, significantly less than traditional amberina glass.
As for bluerina pieces, they are even more of a rare find and are priced higher than reverse amberina. Currently, the most expensive bluerina piece sold on eBay was $155 USD. Most of the listings are mid-century modern. The least expensive piece currently is $19.95 USD. Regarding design, bluerina listings tend to be either wine glasses/goblets or vases. It is rare to find other types of glassware in bluerina, although you will come across them in your search.
Where Can I Find Collectible Amberina Glass? How Can I Find the Best Prices?
Other online antiques dealers and auction sites have various listings but seem to be very similar to what is listed on eBay. Amberina glass can also be found on Etsy, often priced less than eBay listings.
Like other collectibles, antiques shops and estate sales are great places to look for collectible amberina glass. You’ll want to keep an eye out for antique and estate auctions in your area as well. Flea markets can be great places to search for antiques and glass collectibles. I’ve added many pieces to my collections over the years with items I’ve found at flea markets. Oftentimes, prices can be much lower than those at antiques retailers or even estate sales.
However, always be sure to compare prices with those you see online or from current antiques pricing publications. While there are good deals to be found, sometimes sellers will mark-up prices only because an item qualifies as antique. Take along a price guide, smartphone, or tablet to double-check prices while on your search for collectibles. Especially in a search for amberina glass, quality matters as well as manufacturer and/or designer.
Reputable price guides in print Kovel’s Antiques price guides (be sure to look for a 2019 or later edition, later is always better for the most recent price listings), Warman’s Antiques, and information from trade publications such as Collector’s Weekly. All of these resources will have information on pricing other antiques as well, making them must haves for the avid collector.
For online resources, Kovel’s also now has a website that will help you when pricing antiques. Also, WorthPoint is a great resource and even has an app available for pricing on the go. And don’t forget that your local antiques dealer should be able to point you in the right direction as well. They are often highly knowledgeable, especially about certain type of collectibles.
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/glassware/l-e-smith
https://www.1stdibs.com/buy/amberina-glass/
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=antiques%20price%20guide&c=apps&hl=en_US&gl=US
