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When William J. Blenko came to the United States from England in 1893, his vision was to produce and sell American-made "antique" (mouth-blown) flat glass instead of having it imported from Europe. After a few failed ventures, he started The Eureka Glass Company in 1921 and produced stained glass from its Milton, West Virginia glassmaking facility until the Depression. Struggling to stay afloat, Blenko switched his product line to glass tableware, and in 1930, Eureka became Blenko.
Before Blenko employed designers, it had expert finishers on its staff. The first artisans hired for these important positions were Axel Muller and Louis Miller, a pair of Swedish glassblowers who had the background in stemware that Blenko and his son, who joined his father in 1923, lacked. Blenko’s output from the pre-war years is characteristically clean and spare. Its footed goblets and tumblers were uniform in color and simply proportioned. Even the stems were straightforward, though elegant in a casual, distinctly American sort of way.
As the 1930s progressed, Blenko's pieces got a bit fancier. A clear iced-tea glass, for example, would have a colored glass leaf on its outside surface, while dusty-green highball glasses were sometimes wrapped with threads of vivid red. These objects, as well as Blenko’s candleholders, rolled-rim plates, and crackle-body decanters, caught the eye of the folks running Colonial Williamsburg. In 1933, Blenko became the exclusive manufacturer of table and stemware for the historic site...
By the end of the decade, Blenko was also producing amphoras and vases. A new shop foreman named Carl Ebert Erickson had now joined the company. Blenko's line of "Heavy Swedish Type Vases," which have been attributed to Erickson, gave the company its identity just before the war.
After World War II, Winslow Anderson took the company’s design reins. He introduced indented vases of various sizes and colors, bent-neck cruets, and slender, flat-bottom decanters with teardrop stoppers. Anderson laid the groundwork for one of Blenko’s most influential designers, Wayne Husted, who was with the company from 1953 until 1963. During that decade, Husted pushed both forms and color to bring Blenko into step with the prevailing Mid-century Modern aesthetic.
Of particular interest are Husted’s wedge-cut decanters, portrait vases, the Echoes series from the late 1950s, and the Spool decanters, which recall Brancusi’s "Endless Column." In fact, decanters and vertical pieces became something of a Blenko trademark during this period—some pieces stood three feet tall.
In the mid-to-late 1960s, Joel Philip Myers, who is now a well-known artist in his own right, designed for Blenko, injecting the company’s sensibility with humor and whimsy. Especially charming are some of the clear decanters with green or turquoise spouts and stoppers, the lovely coiled and mushroom pieces, and the decanters with cowboy hats and longhorn skulls for stoppers.
One of the tricks about collecting Blenko is to know how to identify the company’s marks since most of its pieces are not signed. The exceptions to this rule are the engraved signatures on the bottoms of pieces in 1958, the sandblasted Wayne Husted-designed logo used between 1958 and 1961, and the pieces signed "Blenko Joel Philip Myers," which grace the bottoms of products made for Gump’s in 1964.
Instead, the company practice has been to affix a foil, hand-shaped label to its pieces with the words "BLENKO HANDCRAFT" on it—paper was substituted during World War II. This label was used from the 1930s through 1982. A different paper label of a stylized Blenko glassblower was glued to the Raindrop, Regal, and Rialto Specialty Lines in 1960 and 1961.
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Bold And Graphic 1961 Cog Pitcher By Wayne Husted For Blenko
Rare Massive 1957 Jar By Wayne Husted For Blenko
Extremely Rare 1961 Moon Decanter By Wayne Husted For Blenko
Amberina 1962 Flame Decanter By Wayne Husted For Blenko
Blenko Art Glass Decanter Mid Century Modern Hand Blown W/stooper
Blenko Glass Joel Myers Hand Blown Chestnut Brown Mushroom Ball Decanter
Limited Edition Blenko Vase Ruby Signed By Designers Fog 2009
Blenko Glass 5815-s Genie Decanter Teal Blue Sand Blasted Husted Mid Century 
Blenko 920 With Controlled Bubble Stopper- Approx. 23 Inches Tall!
Blenko Wayne Husted Pitcher #555 Clear Glass
Blenko Glass - 4 Ringed #448r Old Fashion Glasses - Crystal/turquoise
Big Blue Blenko Mid Century Crackle Glass Pitcher
Vintage Blenko Cobalt Art Glass Decanter With Stopper Cobalt 18
1963 Blenko Husted Tangerine Genie Decanter # 6212
Blenko Glass Colonial Williamsburg Restoration Cw-9 Crystal 14" Hurricane Shade
L335 Nr Vintage 1950s Blenko Amberina Swirl Vase Flared Rim Splayed Foot
Blenko Glass Two Sided Pitcher
Modern Blenko Tangerine Vase 15" Tall Good Condition
Vtg Blenko Turquoise Blue Crackle 939-p 14" Tall Pitcher Anderson Mid Century
Vintage Blenko Glass Decanter
Blenko Green Crackle Glass Mid-century Modern Vase Beautiful Design
Vintage Bischoff? Blenko? Pinched Smoke Vase 9 1/2"
Huge 23" Tall Mid Century Retro Modern Viking Smith Green Glass Swung Floor Vase
Vintage Blenko 12" Deep Turquoise Teal Blue Optic Rib Art Glass Pitcher Jug
Vintage Blenko Pilgrim Amber Crackle Glass Decanter W/ Stopper 11 1/2"
Vintage Blenko Art Glass Bookends 
Blenko Glass Bookends
#384 Blenko Glass Water Bottle Emerald Green Pitcher Studio Art Glass
Vintage Blenko Purple Hand-blown Pinched Art Glass Drinking Tumblers Set Of 4
Blenko Art Glass Double Spout Blue Pitcher
Vintage Hand Blown Glass Amethyst Wave/ruffle Bowl Blenko? Murano? Rich Color
Blenko Celery / Light Green Double Spout Water Bottle Pitcher 2003
Vintage Hand-blown Cobalt Blue Glass Set Of 4 Small Saucer Plates
Dark Green Blenko Art Glass Water Pitcher Vase Signed Richard Blenko 2000
Blenko Blue Art Glass Double Spout Water Bottle Sticker
Vtg Amber Blenko Drink Decanter Water Wine Pitcher Carafe Handmade W/label Eames
Vintage Blenko Blue 7 5/8" D Glass Sun Catcher
Blenko Hand Blown Glass Red Decanter Ruffled Top And Crackled W/o Stopper
Blenko Handmade Green Glass Jug
Blenko Dark Amber Pitcher With A Very Defined Pontil & Bubbles In The Glass
Blenko Glass Antique Vintage Spiral Coil Art Vase Crystal Clear
Vintage Mid Century Modern Crystal Glass Ice Abstract Blenko Candle Holder Pair
#384 Blenko Glass Water Bottle Pitcher Lavender? Rose? 
#603 Blenko Jonquil Glass Pitcher Wayne Husted 1962 Sandblasted Signed
Vtg Large Bubble Pebble Pattern Clear Glass Ashtray Mid Century Art Blenko
Stunning Blenko 384 Water Bottle In Cobalt Blue, Sandblast Signed, Sticker
3 Awesome Blenko Handblown Glass Peppers, 1 Ruby, 2 Yellow
Nice Vintage Blenko Lamp In Tangerine, Amberina, Mid Century Modern
#60-a Blenko Jonquil Miniature Vase Wayne Husted Sand Blasted Signed 
Recent News: Blenko Art Glass
Source: Google News
Blenko Glass To Celebrate West Virginia Day
WCHS-TV8, June 19thWest Virginia is giving gifts on its 150th birthday, starting with a limited edition commemorative glass keepsake. Blenko Glass is holding its annual West Virginia birthday celebration Thursday. The company's visitor's center will open at 8:00 a.m. and...Read more
Mark and Linda Heister's Home In La Porte, Indiana Is The Product Of Years Of ...
Huffington Post, June 19thWeekly Roundup Find #6. Vintage 1962 Wayne Husted for Blenko Decanter | <em>(p0pup)</em> | <a href="http://zuburbia.com/blog/2013/06/16/ebay-roundup-of-vintage-home-finds-90/" target="_hplink">CLICK HERE</a> for more info...Read more
Blenko to host annual celebration
Huntington Herald Dispatch, June 18thMILTON -- Blenko Glass Co. is having its annual West Virginia Birthday Celebration on Saturday, June 22. The Visitor Center will open at 8 a.m. for this special event, where Blenko will sell its 33rd West Virginia Birthday piece. Made of ice blue...Read more
Photos and history sought for Blenko Glass
Daily Mail - Charleston, June 16thIf you own a unique piece of Blenko Glass or if your family member worked at Blenko and you would like to assist with information about his employment or you need more information, please email TheBlenkoProj...@aol.com. The Blenko Project is seeking ...Read more
Stained glass windows at burned Denver church get artisan treatment
Denver Post, June 15thIt's very rare Blenko stained glass, "handmade and mouth-blown," said Jane, "made the same way as European antique glass." This jewel-toned stained glass represents a crossroads of American history, one that blends master craftsmen with early church ...Read more
Blenko's W.Va. birthday piece has 'heart' theme
Charleston Gazette, June 15thAccording to a news release from Blenko, this year's birthday piece celebrates how West Virginians hold each other in their hearts: "Made of ice blue colored glass to represent a mountaineer's freedom, this 11-inch-tall ballooning vase expands with...Read more
Volunteers recognized during annual meeting at the YMCA
Huntington Herald Dispatch, June 1stThe Blenko Project is currently seeking photos of Blenko and collecting oral histories from glass workers and their families. If you own a collector or unique piece of Blenko Glass, If your family member worked at Blenko and you would like to assist...Read more
Blenko Art Honors Rosie the Riveters in Huntington
WOWK, May 22ndLocal artwork honors Rosie the Riveters in Huntington Wednesday. The artwork was made by the folks at Blenko glass and is designed by local students. Family members joined the 22 Rosies at Pullman Plaza Hotel for the special event honoring women who ...Read more