About LABAC

LABAC is an informal nonprofit research group that pools resources to find and acquire significant Brilliant Period cut glass catalogs, booklets, photo albums, scrapbooks, advertising and similar materials. LABAC distributes copies of found materials to members, for their personal study and research use. There are presently about nine dozen participants, and everyone is invited to join in this important research effort.

OPEN MEMBERSHIP. LABAC is open to all families and institutions. Group leverage and "reach" increases as membership grows, so it's beneficial to involve new members. LABAC has been operating for almost six years, and seeks more participants. 

AFFILIATIONS. LABAC is not affiliated with the ACGA or with any other organization. The ACGA and the Rakow Research Library are encouraged to collaborate to publish reproductions based on some of the original materials found by LABAC, but it is left to these organizations to determine which (if any) materials might be published.

HOW IT WORKS. Members collaborate by telephone, e-mail and letters to find and acquire access to cut glass reference materials from the Brilliant Period. Copies of otherwise inaccessible items may be considered for distribution. Every member shares the responsibility to find material, and all work is done by unpaid volunteers.

For each item found, high quality copies are distributed to members, for their personal research uses. Operating costs (e.g., acquisition, reproduction, distribution, and administration) are deducted from subscription receipts until subscription funds are exhausted. At this point, a new subscription cycle begins with a request for subscription renewals and new members. Subscription cycles usually last about three to six months, but duration depends on the number of catalogs we find, how much they cost, page counts, etc.

SUBSCRIPTIONS. Subscription cycle #1 opened in 2001.  Cycle #12 opened in early 2007.  Usual cost of each subscription cycle is $40, but rare "special circumstances" may occasionally increase costs. Members may request cancellation at any time, and the unused portion of current cycle subscription money will be cheerfully refunded, no questions asked.  Any LABAC member choosing not to renew their subscription by the cycle closing date is dropped from membership, and does not receive subsequent copies of materials. Dropout reminders are infrequently sent. 

DONATIONS. At cycle close, gratis copies of materials are donated to the ACGA archives, the Rakow Research Library at the Corning Museum of Glass (which is granted microfiche replication but not publication rights), the Museum of American Cut and Engraved Glass in Highlands, NC, the West Virginia Museum of Glass and the United States Library of Congress.

Purchased original catalogs are offered to the ACGA for eventual publication to maximize visibility for the material. Each LABAC original catalog has so far been donated to the Rakow Research Library, so that microfiche and diazo copies become immediately available to researchers. Rakow also provides archival preservation facilities and professional management for these old documents. The ACGA retains first right of refusal to reprint the LABAC catalogs donated to the Rakow Research Library. So far, the ACGA has elected to republish one old original catalog offered by LABAC.

ADMINISTRATION. LABAC is presently organized by Rob Smith, until someone else volunteers. Telephone and e-mail are used for rapid communications regarding issues and opportunities, but the USPO is used to involve those not having access to computer tools. When material becomes available, members are asked whether LABAC should buy or borrow, and the applicable maximum cost ceiling. Group decisions are usually made within two or three days.  At the end of each cycle, an operating financial summary is sent to participants, so that everyone can see how group resources have been used.

SOURCES. Collector reference materials, local auctions, local/regional/national libraries, jewelry store archives and family records have been exploited by LABAC members to find materials. So far, about 2/3 of materials have been loaned by participants. eBay is another significant source. Original catalogs and similar materials come up several times each year for "web auction" on eBay.

Don Kosterman and other volunteers expediently prepare indices for each LABAC book, prior to distribution to participants. So far, they have prepared more than six dozen indices for us.

 RESULTS. It is impractical to predict results for future cycles, but the consistent volume of available material is quite encouraging. The present LABAC Cycle #12 “RN3” book is our twentieth bound volume of rediscovered Brilliant Cut Glass information.  The group has published the following softbound books:

            Cycle #12 (2007) -- ("RN3") Cut glass Research Notes Volume Three (Kellner & Munro
            through Wright), by Craig Carlson.

            Cycle #11 (2006) -- ("RN2") Cut Glass Research Notes Volume Two (Drake through Jewel),
            by Craig Carlson.

            Cycle #10 (2006) -- ("RN1") Cut Glass Research Notes Volume One (Abraham & Straus
            through Dorflinger), by Craig Carlson.

Cycle #9 (2005) -- (“LHL”) Brilliant Cut Glass Catalogs: Libbey, Huntley, Loftis, Reim, et al.   

Cycle  #8  (2005) -- Marshall Field Cut Glass, 1892–1922.   

Cycle  #7  (2004) -- Brilliant Cut Glass Catalog: Bergen 1903 “Red Cover."
(“PBHS”) Brilliant Cut Glass Catalogs: Pitkin & Brooks, Higgins & Seiter, Burley & Tyrrell,  Meriden.   

Cycle  #6  (2004) -- (“FBMC”) Brilliant Cut Glass Catalogs: Fry, Bergen, Maple City, United States Glass, Bawo & Dotter, Bowman, Otto Young, Marshall Wells. 
(“BCTH”) Brilliant Cut Glass Catalogs: Blackmer, Covington, Tinker, Hawkes.

Cycle  #5  (2003) -- American Brilliant Period Cut Glass Advertisements Book Two   (Drake Cut Glass through Jewel Cut Glass). 
American Brilliant Period Cut Glass Advertisements Book Three (Johnson-Carlson Cut Glass through Owanda Cut Glass). 
American Brilliant Period Cut Glass Advertisements.  Book Four (Pairpoint through Wright Rich Cut Glass)

Cycle  #4  (2003) -- American Brilliant Period Cut Glass Advertisements Book One (Albert Bros through Dorflinger). 
(“BBB”) Cut Glass Catalogs: Blackmer, Bergen and Blackmer 

Cycle #3  (2002) -- (“PU”) Cut Glass Catalogs: Pairpoint and Union. 
(“GWM”) Cut Glass Catalogs: Gilsey, Wallenstein, Mayer and Tinker.

We’re certain that there’s a lot more surviving cut glass information than has so far been “rediscovered”.  We continue to find and accumulate significant Brilliant Period cut glass catalogs, booklets, photo albums, scrapbooks, advertisements and similar materials.  Our priority is cutting house information, but we’ve also rediscovered many interesting and useful distributor catalog sections showing cut glass.  We invite all cut glass enthusiasts to join us in this important research effort.