Monday, July 4, 2011

Local Blenko collectors

Tim and Karin Alonzo stop by the store from time to time. The last visit, we bought several pieces from them...some things they'd had stored and were ready to sell, presumably duplicates they didn't need anymore.

We're Blenko lovers, but they're way out of our league. They're not only Blenko experts, they're also Blenko collectors in a big way. According to Karin, they started collecting about seven years ago and now have over 1500 pieces. Of course, we had a million questions for the couple and learned a great deal from them.

If you're like me, you can't imagine what 1500 pieces of glass looks like, and even more to the point, you can't imagine dusting 1500 pieces of glass on a regular basis. They've told us to come to their home and take a look someday, which I'd love to do. That would give me another excuse to pick their brains for more information about Blenko.  Here are a few glimpses at their collection...just two shelves of the six they have.

From blenkoproject.org

Tim and Karin Alonzo's collection

Tim and Karin Alonzo's collection

Water Bottles
Blenko Design #384-H
Notice the Handles
Designed in 1938

Pitchers - Blenko Design #543

Rare Blenko cobweb pieces
Designs #3623 and 3626
Designed in 1936
Produced in '36 and '37 only
at

6 comments:

  1. BanditaJuly 4, 2011 at 8:25 AM

    wooooooww! my small milkglass collection is nothing compared to this! looks amazing!

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  2. DearHelenHartmanJuly 4, 2011 at 8:27 AM

    What a stunning collection - wonder how many time I've passed over a piece that might have been a designer find because it blends in with dime store design - getting an education here helps!

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  3. Tanya from Dans le LakehouseJuly 4, 2011 at 10:06 AM

    Wow - I am so glad you shared some pictures! How exciting that you get to see it in real life.

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  4. 1950s Atomic Ranch HouseJuly 4, 2011 at 11:10 AM

    I'm with Helen. When it comes to glassware, it's hard for us amateurs to tell the 'junk' from the gems!

    What a colorful and bright collection!

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  5. Dana@Mid2ModJuly 4, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    @1950sarh: As much as I handle/buy glass for the store now, there are still plenty of pieces that I have to go to the reference books to identify, but more and more, I've begun to recognize the style of certain designers and even the heft and appearance of the glass. I hope someday to know as much as Karin and Tim and other collectors.

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  6. SudhaJuly 4, 2011 at 5:37 PM

    i wish i could differentiate between good glassware and the u know from where stuff!! beautiful pieces :)

    ReplyDelete