Directory

Museum Info

Museum

Physical Address of the Museum:
136 South Ninth Street, Cambridge Ohio
Hours of Operation
April thru October
Wed-Sat 9am - 4pm
Sunday Noon - 4pm
November thru March
By Appointment Only
(Museum is closed)

Telephone
740-432-4245  
Postal Mailing Address
P.O. Box 416
Cambridge, OH 43725

Electronic mail
Use the feedback form to submit your questions. Questions are answered by volunteers, as their schedules permit. Please be patient, as we do try to answer all inquiries. Note that the NCC, as a non-profit organization, may not provide appraisals.

NCC Organization Information

Our Mission
The National Cambridge Collectors, Inc. is a non-profit Ohio corporation which was founded in 1973 to establish and maintain a permanent museum in Cambridge, Ohio for the display, study and preservation of Cambridge Glass. Part of the mission includes accumulating and publishing information related to the Cambridge Glass Company. Check this site regularly for news of scheduled meetings and upcoming events.
Membership

Beginning in 2006, the Board of Directors authorized a new structure for membership dues, including the ability to make a donation to the organization at the same time. The structure is very similar to that used by other non-profit organizations. Basic membership is $35 for one year, and it includes everyone in the household. There are other levels of membership, which are detailed on the membership application form.

Membership logo You can make your Annual Fund donation online, saving you time and avoid having to write and mail a check. Simply go to the Paypal Giving Works page where you can select the level of membership. Look for the images matching the one at right and select the level you want. NCC receives 100% of your contribution as a donation without the overhead expense of credit card processing.

To pay by check, you can print out the Application for Membership form and mail it in along with your dues. Use your browser's "BACK" button to return to this page. [Note: You will need the Adobe Reader® version 7, as the list is in "PDF format". Most modern computer systems come with the Adobe Reader® already installed. However, if you don't have it, you can download it here]

Officers and Board Members
The Board of Directors consists of 12 members. Each is elected to a four year term, and the terms are staggered so that three directors are elected every year. The Board meets after each election to choose the officers for a one year term.
The Officers and Board members and the permanent Committees are all listed in the Crystal Ball each time it is published. For your information, here is a historical list of officers over the years of the organization's existance.
The Crystal Ball - NCC's member newsletter
One of the benefits of membership in the National Cambridge Collectors is the organization's newsletter, known as the Crystal Ball. Published ten months of the year, this publication informs members of happenings within the club, in study groups (see below), Convention plans, Glass Shows, Board of Directors meetings, and a President's message. In most issues, there is a detailed article relating to some phase of Cambridge glass, such as a study of a particular pattern, or historical information about the company. In addition, there are advertisements (classified or partial to full-page) from dealers and individuals with glass for sale or pieces wanted. Click here for advertising rates and terms. The Crystal Ball is a wealth of information, and members look forward to its arrival in their mailbox. In addition, once the hard-copy version has been delivered by the Post Office, an electronic version will be placed on this site.
Cambridge Study Groups
These are groups of members who live fairly close to one another, and who hold regular meetings where they study topics related to Cambridge glass (sometimes related to glassware made by other companies as well). When space permits, the minutes of each of the study groups are published in the Crystal Ball member's newsletter. Here is a link to the active study groups page, which provides contact information and links to facebook pages.
Publications by NCC
Various Study Groups or individual members have spent many hours researching and putting together books on a number of topics pertaining to Cambridge glass. There are Catalog reprints, small books on individual patterns, the Colors in Cambridge Glass book, and numerous others. Visit the Books for Sale page to see the list.
NCC's eBay Store
The publications mentioned above that are for sale can be purchased online at the NCC's eBay Store, using PayPal® to make things easier for "computer literate" visitors and members. There are other items besides books available and you can even renew memberships (or join NCC !) and make donations to the Museum fund.
National Museum of Cambridge Glass
The crowning achievement of the club has been the creation of the National Museum of Cambridge Glass, in Cambridge, Ohio. The NCC had built an earlier museum in Cambridge, only to have the massive flood of 1998 inundate the old museum. Through the hard work of many members, most of the glass was rescued, but the original museum had to be closed and eventually sold. Subsequently, NCC club members got together and raised the necessary funds to acquire another building in Cambridge (on higher ground), and today the National Museum of Cambridge Glass is a reality again. You must schedule a visit if you're anywhere near Cambridge.
Annual Convention
Every summer, towards the end of June, the National Cambridge Collectors holds a Convention in Cambridge, Ohio. It is held at the Pritchard-Laughlin Center, on US 40 in Cambridge. The Convention is a place where members gather to have a whole lot of fun, attend the Annual Meeting of the organization, listen to seminars by guest speakers and attend a Glass Show which features some of the best dealers in Cambridge glass from all over the country. There's even an event called the "Glass Dash", which is a kind of four hour mini-show, where the dealers come and set up early in the morning and it's over by 11:00 am. There is a banquet, displays of Cambridge glass and often there are bus trips which bring conventioneers to other glass-related sites in the area. We have a list of motels in the Cambridge area, along with the information you need to contact them directly. Be sure to let them know that you are with the National Cambridge Collectors, to ensure that you receive the best rates. This is surely an event not to be missed, so plan for Convention now.
Fund Raising Activities

There are a number of different fund raising activities which provide the support for the Club activities. The annual dues barely cover the expenses of producing the Crystal Ball and delivering it to the membership. Covering the costs of running a first-class museum requires fairly substantial income for this non-profit organization.

Heritage Society: The NCC (National Cambridge Collectors. Inc.) established the Heritage Society in 2005 as a way to secure the future of its Cambridge Glass preservation mission. The NCC's Heritage Society provides members and other contributors with a non-binding. completely voluntary pledge program. Members of The Heritage Society are those who have included the NCC in their wills or estate plans, thus providing the organization with a secure future.

All-Cambridge Glass Auction: Every year there is an All-Cambridge Glass Auction held in conjunction with the March Quarterly meeting, with the items listed in the Crystal Ball and forms provided for members and non-members alike to submit absentee bids. All glass in the Annual Auction is guraranteed to be Cambridge glass. This is a major fund-raising project each year.

Postcard Postcard Cambridge Post Cards: The NCC now has two Post Cards for sale featuring Cambridge Glass. One shows Cambridge Swans in several sizes, all in Light Emerald Green. The second card has a selection of five rare Cambridge glass items, with a Carmen Japonica vase featured in the center. They sell for $1.00 each, and are available at the Museum.

Other Fund-raisers: Some other fund-raising activites include membership pins, souvenir glass items, postcards, tote bags, prior year's Convention souvenirs, videos and even replacement plastic lids for Cambridge salt/pepper sets.

Constitution and By-Laws
The National Cambridge Collectors, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The Constitution and By-Laws (Revised June 2024) of the organization are listed here in PDF form, and are also published periodically in the Crystal Ball newsletter.
NCC Owned Inventory
The National Cambridge Collectors, Inc. owns a substantial inventory of Cambridge glass as well as other tangible assets. From time to time we will publish a listing of our owned inventory for our members and the public to review. Here is the inventory as of February 2024. This is a very large PDF® document (about 180 pages). You will probably want to use the magnified view in the Adobe Reader to enlarge the text.
Policy Book
As part of NCC's commitment to transparency, in 2011-2012 we created a Policy Book that helps us govern the organization. This book is attached in pdf form and is a constant work in progress. As new sections are written and approved by the Board, we will update the Policy Book. Latest update: November 2020.
Annual Reports and Financial Documents
The National Cambridge Collectors, Inc. publishes several financial documents on an annual basis. These are made available here for members (and the general public) to examine. All of the documents are presented in PDF® format, so you will need the Adobe© Reader to view them (the Adobe Reader is supplied on most modern computers for free). Be warned that the LARGE documents may take quite a bit of time to load, even on a high speed connection. The current documents available are: