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  Fraternal Glasses 

Another attractive class of pre-pro glasses that doesn't attract too much attention is Fraternal glasses.  The most famous of these are gaudy carnival-type glasses produced for  the Pittsburgh-based Shriners as give-aways for delegates attending annual conventions.  The conventions were held in Saratoga, NY in 1903 and in Atlantic City, NJ in 1904.  In these years, the convention glass comprised hot whiskey glasses featuring a hand-painted Native American Chief and a Sailing Ship, respectively (see below).  A full range of Pittsburgh Shriners' glasses can be found at http://www.phoenixmasonry.org. The scope of Fraternal glasses extends well beyond the Shriners, however, and this collecting category remains largely unappreciated and unexplored.  Some more examples are shown below.

 

The souvenir whiskey glass from the 1903 Shriners' conference in Saratoga, NY.  It stands about 3-1/2" tall. The 1904 conference was held in Atlantic City and the hot whiskey glass featured a boat and maiden.

A souvenir glass from an 1899 conference of the Fraternal Order Knights of Pythias

One of a pair of souvenir glasses from a 1900 meeting of the masonic Hermann Lodge.  The other is silvered.

last updated: October 16, 2009                   

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