Whimsey Turtle Ashtray

Sep 26, 2022 | Museum Monday Treasures

Today’s Museum Monday treasure from the Museum of American Glass in WV is a whimsey turtle ashtray. Whimseys can be a fun collectible – these are pieces made by workers in their spare time, what we might call “fantasy” pieces. What makes this one unusual is that we know which factory it came from. Without a family history, most whimseys are anonymous. But this one is actually marked inside: “CHARLEROI / UNION / MADE / 1941 / JK.” That allows us to attribute it to the Macbeth-Evans Glass Company. We may never know who JK was, but we can continue to enjoy this delightful ashtray. It is 2” high, 6” long, and 4” wide, quite a substantial little reptile!

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