A Online Tour of the
L.G. Wright Auction & Museum
by John Gager
Photographs courtesy of David McInturff & Johanna Billings
A special Thanks to Johanna Billings for her
help on auction details and great articles!

The history of the L.G. Wright Glass Company starts in about 1936 with Lawerence Gale Wright, also known as "Si", traveling to various glassware and pottery companies to buy merchandise and reselling them to wholesale customers. Their involvement with Fenton started in 1937 when Si commissioned Fenton to produce Hobnail Barber bottles in amber and vaseline glass. Soon afterwards Mr. Wright contracted the National Mold and Machine Works of Clarksburg, WV. to produce various molds in different patterns. From about that point on, the LG Wright Glass Company came into their own, sending the molds to Fenton and others to produce their glass. It is estimated that approximately 70% of the glass made for LG Wright was done by Fenton which is why there are many similarities in patterns and glass treatments. The L.G. Wright museum was opened October of 1996. For a full history of the LG Wright Glass Company, I encourage you to purchase the book "The L.G. Wright Glass Company" by James Measell and W.C. Roettels.

As with all good things, sometimes they come to an end. On May 27th-31st 1999, an auction was held to liquidate the remaining stock of the L.G. Wright Glass Company. Phyllis Stephan Buettner, the owner, tried to keep the business running after the death of Mrs. Wright in 1990, but was unable to keep things running. After failing to sell the company for a sum she felt it was worth, she decided the best way was an Auction. She was right, considering the prices realized at the auction going for way over book prices and in many cases going for more than the original Victorian counterpart the Wright company reproduced! For more information, here are some excellent articles by Johanna Billings that describes the auction in detail and also gives the collector some information on possible reproductions that may appear in the future:
LG Wright Auction - By Johanna Billings
LG Wright Glass Co. molds scattered across country and Orient - By Johanna Billings
Update!! - LG Wright Reproductions now appearing

LG Wright Auction                                   LG Wright Museum

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