Announcing the newest member: 1940 Cambridge Catalog Compilation
Issue No. 267 - July 1995
At the 1995 Convention, NCC, Inc. released the newest member of our education family: the 1940 Catalog compilation.
During its fifty-seven years of operations, the Cambridge Glass Co. issued a variety of catalogs. These included general as well as specialty catalogs. After a general catalog was issued, it was often the practice to update it by means of supplemental pages and letters to the sale force informing them of additions and deleted items.
Before 1920, most if not all, of the Nearcut Era catalogs covered only part of the line. That is, they were specialty catalogs. General catalogs were issued circa 1920 and again in 1927 and 1930. Supplemental pages to the 1930 Cambridge catalog were issued at least through 1934.
During the years 1935 to 1939, catalog type pages were used but apparently there was not a general catalog in the manner of the 1930 or 1940 catalogs. Used first was a series of pages that also served as their own price list. These pages provided color availability and price along with the usual illustration.
Later, individual lines and major items had their own "mini-catalogs" that no longer had prices and colors listed. These may have been put together in some type of binder but page numbers were not continuous as each line or item section began with page one.
Many of these latter pages, some with minor changes, became the basis for a general catalog dated January 1, 1940. The 1940 Cambridge catalog was not a comprehensive general catalog since it did not include rock crystal engravings. That portion of the Cambridge line was shown in a separate catalog issued in May 1940. Supplemental pages to the January 1940 catalog quickly followed and a new index was issued in August 1940. Additional pages followed during the next few years.
World War II greatly curtailed production of items for civilian use and it is believed no additional catalog pages were issued after 1943. It was not until June 1949 that another catalog was issued.
The 1930 catalog with its supplements and the 1949 catalog with its supplements have been reprinted by NCC, Inc. in conjunction with Collectors Books. NCC, Inc. has, on its own, reprinted the 1940 Cambridge catalog.
After reviewing several 1940 catalogs, it is believed the reprint is as complete as possible since it consists of the 1940 Cambridge Glass Co. catalog as first issued and all of the known supplemental pages.
Due to the large number of items shown (in the catalog reprint of over 250 actual pages), compilation of a value guide was not undertaken ...