Help “Kickstart” Glassmaking at Fenton!

Dear Friend of Fenton glass,

As stated above: You can help “Kickstart” Glassmaking at Fenton! USGlass needs to catalog and “curate” Fenton moulds as a first step in resuming glass production in Williamstown. “Curate” means deciding which moulds to use for success in today’s market. USGlass continues to raise funds for the restart of Fenton production including restarting furnaces, product development, and hiring marketing personnel.

To “kickstart” this process and to provide useful information to the glass collector community, USGlass has initiated a unique project on Kickstarter.com for the compilation of an online catalog of more than 10,000 Fenton moulds, including those from other companies such as Beaumont, Dugan-Diamond, Fostoria, Imperial, Indiana, McKee, L. G. Wright and Verlys. The Fenton Gift Shop bought these moulds at auction in May 2012, and USGlass has an agreement to license these moulds once production begins.

Everyone interested in the project can make contributions through Kickstarter.com. Completing this comprehensive catalog will require $50,000 (or more if product pictures are included and the curating process involves professional market research).

This catalog of moulds will include the mould number, pattern and shape,
recent Fenton production using the mould, original owner, and a picture of the mould itself. Additional information will be added if sufficient funds become available from the project.

Shown at right is the mould and an example for the 5363 Songbird figurine. Information such as this may be included in the mould catalog project.
 

All those who contribute $10 or more to this project through Kickstarter.com will have access to the complete online catalog. Those contributing $100 or more will receive a gift, an invitation to a Director’s Council meeting on July 26, 2013, and the opportunity to purchase special glass.
 

Fenton Art Glass 5053 Snow Angel figurine and its mould

An enthusiastic level of support by the collectors is essential and will be a strong sign that there is interest in the restart of Fenton production.

Kickstarter projects and contributions are not approved until the minimum dollar amount is pledged, so USGlass needs the equivalent of 5000 people at $10 each to get this important project off the ground.

To make a pledge, click here, then click on “Back this Project”. Or go to Kickstarter.com and search for Fenton Glass. The deadline for pledges is May 20, 2013, so don’t delay. Pledge now! Thank you for your support!