Navarre Makes its Debut
During
the depression years, Fostoria introduced the
Navarre crystal pattern in clear. It became the
collection of choice on bridal registries in the United
States in the 1940's and is now
very popular with Depression Glass collectors.The most coveted pieces for collectors are the pitchers,
footed
and
ice lip, as well as the syrup
and
cruet, all of which can bring anywhere from $500 to
$600 in the resell market.
Being one of Fostoria's most popular etched crystal
patterns, Navarre was produced for almost half a century
from the years 1936 through 1982. Navarre's etch number is
327. The stemware blank, number 6016, is shared with
the
Meadow Rose pattern, which sometimes makes it
difficult to tell the two patterns apart.
A Bit of Color
In
1973, Navarre was produced in the colors azure blue and
pink. Both colors are highly collectible and
demand higher prices than comparable pieces in the
clear. The pink stems are the most difficult to
find and highly sought after.The color collections were limited to
mostly traditional stemware pieces, for example iced tea, water,
wine clarets and champagne. The magnum champagne
stem demands the highest price in the reseller market.
Other sample colors were tried in Navarre but never made
it to production.
In 1983, the
Navarre pattern was sold to
Lenox
and production continued for four more years.
The pink color of the Fostoria Navarre and the
Lenox Navarre differ slightly and both pink colors are a different hue than the pink
that is well known in Depression
Glass pieces.
Navarre pink and blue stems are usually signed on the bottom by their
respective maker,
Fostoria or Lenox.
Remembered as a well-respected American company,
Fostoria's history is still celebrated at the
Fostoria Glass Museum in Moundsville.
Fostoria Glass Works,
a proud American company with talented American
artisans,
took its name from Fostoria, Ohio, the town where the
company was first established in 1887. In 1891,
because of lack
of local resources to create its glassware, Fostoria relocated to Moundsville, West
Virginia. Gas and coal were plentiful in
Moundsville and
Fostoria
remained there until 1986 when the company ceased
operations.
