Trademarks & Logos, Part III

by Mark Nye
Issue No. 378 - October 2004

Cambridge oval logoThe reorganized Cambridge Glass Company began manufacturing operations in late March 1955. They continued to use the old company's 1942 trademark but the labels were now printed using foil rather than paper.

Cambridge oval logoAt the time the factory reopened, a commemorative label was designed and used for a very short time, perhaps only for a single day. The label was large, square and measuring 36 mm by 45 mm. It consisted of the trademark label, underneath which are the words "COMMEMORATING THE REOPENING OF THE CAMBRIDGE GLASS CO. 28TH MARCH 1955" all printed in black ink on yellow foil paper. An actual label was not available to this writer. Using a rather poor illustration, the label has been recreated in the general style of the original.

The reorganized Cambridge Glass Company ceased manufacturing glass late in 1958. Sales of existing stock continued through much of 1959. Cambridge by Imperial logoImperial Glass Company, of Bellaire, Ohio, acquired, in 1960, the Cambridge molds, etchings plates and other assets excluding the actual factory and property on which it stood. Following this acquistion, Imperial produced several of the Cambridge lines and labeled them "Cambridge by Imperial" They created a label very similar to that used by Cambridge and added the words "By Imperial."

This label was used only on those lines and items made exactly as Cambridge had, an obvious attempt to take advantage of the Cambridge name and the popularity of such lines as Rose Point and Caprice. The "Cambridge by Imperial" label was not used on subsequent production using Cambridge molds but in colors not used by Cambridge.

Beginning in the late 1960s and continuing into the 1970s, another company calling itself "The Cambridge Glass Company" utilized the old factory buildings but never made glass there. Super Glass Co. logoThis company, whose parent was Super Glass of New York City, had absolutely no relationship to the original Cambridge Glass Company or to the reorganized company of the late 1950s. See the excellent article on the Super Glass Company elsewhere on this web site.

Among the items marketed by this new company were lamp shades and vases. Several different labels were used on vases, all of which are round and contain the wording "Cambridge Glass Hand Blown U.S.A." Additional wording will vary. One such label is reproduced here. The original has a gray background with white lettering. Other styles exist. With the coming of Internet auctions, pieces bearing these labels, which previously had been seldom seen, began to appear with some frequency. While the knowledgable and experienced Cambridge collector should easily recognize the piece for what it is, the novice collector may think it is a piece manufactured by the original company and/or its successor. Other than the art glass label (discussed in Part I), Cambridge never used the word "glass" on any of its labels nor the words "hand blown."

NCC logoIn 1973, when National Cambridge Collectors, Inc. was founded, the organization created a logo based on ones used by the Cambridge Glass Company. It is shown at left. This logo was never used by the Cambridge Glass Company. Note that it has dates on it, something no original company logo ever had. The dates, of course, represent the years the original company was in existence.