MGA showcasing Millersburg Glass at Aug. 31 auction
The annual Millersburg Glass Association auction provides the MGA members with a chance to congregate, talk about their shared interest and see plenty of new Millersburg Glass items hit the auction block. This year’s event will take place Aug. 30-31.
More than one century ago, John Fenton stormed into Holmes County with big dreams and even bigger ideas with the creation of radium carnival glass.
Two years after his arrival and the creation of Millersburg Glass Co., he had made plenty of people angry, despite creating some of the world’s finest carnival glass, because of countless poor business decisions.
The community around Millersburg was so irate they began using his glass for target practice, and Millersburg Glass became a punchline.
Who would have known that 100 years later Fenton’s carnival glass would turn into the glass-collecting industries gold star collectible?
Because of both its rarity and beauty and the innovation that went into Fenton’s risk-taking glass-making efforts, Millersburg Glass is now a celebrated collectible people around the world seek out.
As a way of celebrating that accomplishment, the annual Millersburg Glass Gathering and Auction takes place in the company’s home county every year, and this year that gathering will take place Aug. 30-31 at Comfort Inn Suites in Berlin.
This year marks a change in timing for the auction, which was formerly held later in the fall.
The gathering of the members of the Millersburg Glass Association will take place Friday, Aug. 30 at 4 p.m., where members will gather to talk all things Millersburg Glass, listen to several glass-collecting aficionados and bask in the radiance of the glass they enjoy collecting.
The evening will include a meal, a small auction, the Ping-Pong toss fundraiser game and a chance for new members to join the organization.
According to Steve Maag, MGA president, the weekend is the perfect time for members and collectors to unite for collecting glass, and it’s also a perfect time for anyone who wants to learn more about Millersburg Glass and the glass-collecting hobby to start a new hobby.
“Attending the event live is always fun,” Maag said. “It’s fun to explore what’s there, and to see it firsthand is really the only true way to truly appreciate and understand what makes Millersburg Glass so special among collectors. It’s beautiful, it’s rare and it’s among the finest carnival glass out there.”
He said for beginners this event is a wonderful introduction to collecting and a good learning tool because people can ask questions, and the MGA members love talking about the glass.
Maag also said it’s a good time to sign up to become an MGA member. With membership being just $20 annually, the free meal from Crazy Nate’s BBQ pretty much covers the cost of the membership.
Among the speakers will be Maag himself, who will talk about the crystal pattern that people would consider the crystal blank, a mold that was eventually adapted and used in the creation of many carnival patterns.
“They would use that and put the pattern on the inside,” Maag said. “I’ll talk about that process.”
Auctioneer Jim Wroda, owner of Matthew Wroda Auctions, and his crew will once again be on hand to liven up the auction, and his knowledge of glass only enhances the experience.
Last year’s event saw the bulk of the glass sold coming from the collection of Randy and Bo Jones of Holmesville, who had built one of the most talked-about collections in the nation.
Maag said it will be difficult to match the rarity of that collection, but he said this year’s auction collection should provide plenty of excitement.
“It would be pretty hard to top last year with the Jones’ collection, but there’s still going to be some really great Millersburg Glass that will bring in all types of collectors but will be really good for the average collectors looking to build their collection,” Maag said.
Among the more highly sought Millersburg Glass items will be a trio of Ohio Star vases in all three colors — marigold, green and purple — and all three colors of the coveted rose columns.
The entire collection can be found online at www.matthewwrodaauctions.com. While actually attending the event gives people a firsthand look at this incredible collection, bidders also can bid online at the Wroda website, where there are preauction bidding options available as well.