Glass Gaffers Gallery was created to offer antique blown glass and small collectibles to discriminating buyers. I primarily specialize in old South Jersey glass, as well as other glassware, tins, and small antiques. Many of the items listed here are from my personal collection, offered for sale due to limiting space!

I will also be updating my What is it? page with new items every so often. I hope you find these interesting items as enlightening and exciting as I did when I found them!

So browse the pages if not to buy, then to enjoy aesthetically these beautiful pieces of Americana... And perhaps you will be tempted to procure a bit of history (as I am, time and again!).

I enjoy hearing from fellow collectors, so please leave feedback in the guestbook with your comments, or you can always contact me via email.

Happy collecting!
Glenn Scott

"The art of glass blowing was first discovered in the Middle East along the Phoenician coast in 20 B.C. This new technique changed the use of glass from jewelry and ornaments to necessities. Glass containers and other items of high quality (even windowpanes) were found in the ruins of Pompeii.

Glass blowing of vases and art objects is still done in basically the same way as it was originally done. Glass blowers (gaffers) use a hollow iron pipe about four feet long. The gaffer dips the pipe in the melt and rolls a small amount of molten glass (gather) on the end. The gaffer then rolls the gather against a paddle or metal plate to give it an initial shape (marvering). The gaffer then blows into the pipe creating a bubble (parison).

The gaffer controls the shape and thickness by reheating the parison at the furnace and shaping and blowing to create the final form. Wooden paddles with holes and wet newspapers held in the hand are all used to shape the glass. Shears can be used to cut the softened glass. Additional gathers can be applied and shaped into stems, handles, and other decorative artwork. The hot piece of glassware can be dipped into molten glass of a contrasting color (flashed). The gather is attached opposite the blowpipe to a solid iron rod called a pontil. After the blowpipe is broken free, the gaffer can then shape and fire polish the open end. After the pontil is broken off, the rough spot that is left (pontil mark) is removed by grinding and polishing." *

* from A Short History of Glass Blowing and Glass Blowing Techniques by Richard C. Banks