Gibson Glass Co.

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Milton’s Gibson Glass Co. produced a great variety of glassware
 shapes, colors and patterns. The company’s most popular
 creation was the distinctive glass cruet shown here.

Courtesy of WorthPoint

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Milton’s Charles Gibson started working with glass in the 1950s
 with different glass companies including Blenko, Indiana
 Glass and others. In 1976, Gibson opened his own
 glass company, then closed it one year later
 when he decided to pursue a career
 as an ordained minister.

In 1983, Charles Gibson, along with his son Phillip,
 reopened Gibson Glass. The reopened company
 continued turning out glassware until 2006,
 when operations ceased due to Charles Gibson’s
 ill health. David Osburn, a former
 Blenko Glass employee and founder
 of the Osburn Modern Glass Co.,
 purchased the former
 Gibson Glass
 factory.

Gibson produced blown, mold-blown and molded glass in a
 variety of colors and designs, some strictly decorative and
 others utilitarian in nature. Today, the company is best
 known for its biggest seller — glass cruets. The
 product line included baskets, bottles, bowls,
 cuspidors, decanters, figurines, paper-
weights, perfumes, pitchers, oil
 lamps, toothpicks, vases,
 and water sets.

Gibson’s figurines came in a variety of shapes and subjects,
 including angels, animals, snowmen and dinosaurs. All
 are considered highly collectible. The company’s paper-
weight variations consisted of an iridescent glass
 sphere or a glass sphere with simple flower
 decorations. Others are absolutely innovative
 and contain tiny objects (such as ceramic
 animals or flowers), fully visible
 through the transparent glass.

Most of the items Gibson Glass produced were marked
 with a circular imprint that reads “GIBSON” and
 the year of production. However, not all molds
 and pieces have a spot suitable for marking.

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Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Nov. 5,  2024.

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