You know, I've been looking through my research library (no really, my collection of books out here is just a few volumes short of requiring a full time librarian these days!) and I've found some of my favorites that talk about the history of Heisey, the patterns, everything. It's been lots of fun looking through them and having so many of the patterns right in front of me to look at and review! Goodness, it has filled my head with memories, too, of growing up with my own mother's collection of beautiful, useful glassware.
I remember my mother had some magnificent Heisey pieces that she used for special occasions, as well as those salt and pepper shakers that were always on the kitchen table. She just loved the beauty and utility of Heisey. I remember specifically she had two marvelous punch bowls, one which I inherited upon her passing and the other one went to my brother John for his family. I'm fairly confident that his punchbowl was Heisey, but I know for sure that my punch bowl is Heisey! It's a cherished jewel in my personal collection and I just never seem to be able to use it enough. Oh well, can't be throwing too many parties, after all, with all of this real work to do!
After my mother introduced me to the Questers organization, my fascination with Heisey started to bloom. It was a pretty slow process, back then, as I had two young children and a drum-tight budget. I was also nursing a fondness for Pueblo pottery, among a few other collections, but the "addiction" to collecting was in my very bones and there was nothing for it but to take my time, learn everything that I could, and wait for the years to continue to present me with more and better opportunities for growing my carefully curated collections. Not unlike the roots of aspen trees that reach out to produce new, healthy stems... one piece of Heisey soon became another which in time became a handsome "grove" of beautiful pieces. Pretty soon, a collector in my position realizes that there's a real treasure being built in the house, and it wasn't long at all before I was being asked to share what I knew about my pieces for my other antique-adoring friends.
My goal has been, and continues to be to have a piece (at least one) of as many patterns as I can. It's not a very smart way to control a collection, but it's a grand adventure, to be sure! Besides, the pieces are wonderful and useful and nary a season goes by when I don't pull out a treasured Heisey piece for use on my dinner table to hold fruit, flowers, or sandwiches for guests. My mother was absolutely right about choosing such a great company for her beloved glassware. It just goes to show, if I may be so bold, that she did a great job instilling me with her fondness for all things beautiful and practical (after which I threw in plenty of my own "impractical" twists for good measure.)
