Cobalt Blue Glass

Frank M. Fenton wrote that he had observed that blue glass sold quicker and for a better price than any other color. Cobalt blue glass is normally a deep rich blue. It is made by incorporating cobalt oxide in the molten glass mixture. Some glass that is Cobalt but does not have it in the nomenclature such as Fenton's blue carnival glass, Royal Blue and Periwinkle Blue. I searched far and wide for information on Cobalt Blue Glass. I found this book and "The Discovery of Glass: Experiments in the Smelting of Rich, Dry Silver Ores, and the Reproduction of Bronze Age-type Cobalt Blue Glass as a Slag" By John F. Dayton. The title of the above book looks like somebody's thesis. Anyway this book is colorful and is exactly what it was designed for "collectors." There is a brief history and a small bibliography. I think it is worth the money. However I was looking for something more definitive that discriminated between the color and the material in cobalt. This may only be real cobalt glass but there is no mention of how to discern the blue color from real cobalt. I also saw pieces that were a mixture of cobalt and gold on a TV show. I can not find an example in this book. There is no reference to any organization of cobalt blue glass collectors. This book will also make a great coffee table book.

This is the only book that I've found on this subject and it is in my favorite format for pricing collectibles (lots of color pictures and pricing with the pictures). Have discovered that I have probably been selling too low. No wonder I have immediate sales.