The following article is the fourth and final in a series written
by American carnival glass collector Bob Grissom. It is reproduced with
Bob’s kind permission.
Original
Carnival Glass Makers – Imperial Glass
Company
by Bob Grissom
 The Imperial Glass Company started production in 1904.
From the start until 1909 they only produced clear crystal pressed glass.
The founder of the company was an Edward Muhleman, a river boat captain,
who was related to the Fentons. Imperial at first specialized in high
quality, clear pressed table glass and household wares, ie, table sets,
water sets, and berry sets. Some of their first customers were F. W.
Woolworth, McCrory’s and Kresge’s. They followed closely as the consumers
taste changed, and in 1910 they started the manufacture of what we now
call carnival glass. Some of their early advertisements used the terms
‘rubigold’, ‘helios’, and ‘azure’ to describe their colours of
iridized glass. The present day collector now refers to their ‘rubigold’
as marigold, and their ‘azure’ as blue. Their ‘helios’ usually refers to
those pieces made with a light green coloured base glass with a silvery
iridescence.
 Carnival glass
colours known are amber, amethyst/purple, blue, clambroth, green, helios,
marigold, smoke, teal, red, and white. A few other colours may be found
but would be considered very unusual. The colours found most are
amethyst/purple, helios, and marigold. Many patterns were made in amber,
green, and smoke, but they are not plentiful. ‘Azure’ was one of the
early advertised colours, but items in blue are not easily found.
Imperial’s blue is considered scarce to rare. Some few pieces were made in
red, probably the most sought after items are the large footed fruit bowl,
and the ‘Double Scroll’ three piece console set. Clambroth is a colour that
is almost exclusive to Imperial items, even though it is a scarce colour.
It is not one that gets a lot of attention. Items in teal and white are
very limited, and would be considered rare.
In the mid to later part of the 1970s many of the Imperial patterns
were reproduced. These reproductions caused the carnival collector to lose
some interest in Imperial glass. It has only been within the last few
years that collectors have started to show an increased interest,
especially in the amethyst/purple items.
 Some of the Imperial patterns that have gained in
popularity, in all colours, and demand respectable prices are ‘Chatelaine’
water sets, ‘Chrysanthemum’ & ‘Homestead’ plates, ‘Cone &
Tie’ tumblers, ‘Crucifix’ candle holders (see photo at top left of
this article), ‘Hattie’ chop plates & rose bowls, ‘Loganberry’ (see
photo at top right of this article) & ‘Poppy Show’ vases, ‘Shell’
& ‘Shell and Sand’ plates (see photo at left), and ‘Thumbprint and Oval’ and
‘Three Row’ vases. Other patterns, in certain colours, are also in
demand. The ‘Zipper Loop’ lamp (see photo at right below) was made
in three different sizes plus the one with the finger loop (see photo at
left below). They are very collectable. The two most common patterns are
the ‘Imperial Grape’ and ‘Lustre Rose/Open Rose’. Even so, some of these
are rare in certain shapes and colors. The six inch amethyst/purple
‘Imperial Grape’ plate and the nine inch amethyst/purple ‘Imperial Grape’
and the ‘Lustre Rose’ plates are scarce to rare.
  During the carnival glass period Imperial used only three
trademarks, ‘NUCUT’, ‘NUART’, and the ‘Imperial Cross Mark’. These were
only used on a few pieces, are rarely found, and do not add to the value.
Many, but not all, of the reproduced pieces will have the ‘I’ pressed into
the glass over a ‘G’. (Ed: Later examples will have an ‘L’ over an ‘I’
over a ‘G’, and even later ones will have the ‘ALIG’
mark).
A good
Imperial Glass reference book is ‘Imperial Carnival Glass Identification
and Value Guide’ by Carl Burns.
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