FENTON GLASS BELLS: Buying and Selling On s

Almost all Fenton pieces are popular items on okay. It seems that Fenton Bells are one of the more popular shapes. As of the time this guide was written, there were 350 auctions featuring items identified as Fenton Bells. Fenton has hundreds of bell designs and dozens of bell shapes and sizes. Because of this,the appearance ofthe correct bell information in an okay auction is most critical for buying and selling success.
This guide will focus onsome of the mould designs offered by Fenton as well assome of the critical attributes ofa bell that should be mentioned(or sought) during anokay auction.

(All of the photos that appear in this guide areof my Father's collection. Thanks, Dad! Shown above is a Fenton7463ED.)
(For more information on collecting Fenton pieces please see my other guides: Fenton Cat Figurinesand Glass Shoes and Slippers.)
Fenton Bell Mould Designs
Fenton has many,many mould designs (or shapes)forglassbells. Oneaspect thatgeplicates the buying process, is that some of the shapes appear in different sizes. For instance, the bell shape shown belowis provided in atall size (1774 thatis 6-inches tall) and a shorter size (1777that is 4-1/2 inches tall).

Another aspect of the designs, that geplicates the the art of collecting these pieces, is that some of the mould designs (shapes) are very similar. Some of the more traditional bell designs may feature a bell body that is slightly fluted with straight sidesas gepared to a bell body that is slightly curved.
Some of Fenton'sbells are very distinct and even have distinctive names which describe the mould shape. Other bell shapes, however, are not very distinct and Fentondistinguishes them (at least in the catalogs) by their height alone.
Below, is a list ofFentonbell mould numbers and a short discription of their appearance.
1774 - 6-inches tall (Shown in photo of Blue Bell with Pear above - tall)
1777 - 4-1/2 inches tall (Shown in the photo of Blue Bell with Pearabove - short)
1765 - Diamond Optic Bell, 6-inches tall
1760 - Diamond Optic (1765 and 1760 are the same shape. 1760 is the shorter one at 4-1/2 inches tall.)
1966 - Daisy and Button Bell
1967 - Daisy and Button Bell with ruffles, 5-1/2 inches tall
3368 - Hobnail Bell with ruffles, 5-1/2 inches tall
3667 -Hobnail Bell, 6-inches tall
3645 - Gift Shop Hobnail Bell, 5-1/2 inchestall
4694 -6-inches tall with ruffled edge and diamond cut handle
4764 - 5-1/2 inches tall with diamond shaped handle
4960 - 6-inch bell with ball knob on the handle (Larger bell in theLanguage of Loveline.)
5364 - Atlantis Bell, (6-inches tall with fish)
5762 - 5-1/2 inches tall with a closed flower bloom on the top of the handle. (Bell in the Rosemilk Opalescent line.)
5966 -Priscilla Bell, 4-1/2 inches tall
6536 - Drapery Bell, 6-inches tall
6863 - Melon Bell, 6-inches tall
7278 - Petite Bell, Beauty (4- inches tall)
7463 - 6-inches tall (Shown in the photo at the beginning of this guide.)
7568 - Legacy Bell, 6-1/2 inches tall
7663 - 4-1/2 inch bell (The shorter of the Hydrangeas on Rosemilk bell pair.)
7665 - Petite Bell, 4-1/2 inch (Smaller bell in theLanguage of Loveline.)
7668 - 6-1/2 inch bell(7665 and 7668 are the same shape, but different sizes. I would describe them as traditional bells.)
7768 - 6 inch bell (Bell from the Dreamy Violetsline.)
8362 - 6-1/2 inch bell (flowers and basketweave)
8363 - Lily of the Valley Bell, 6-inches tall
9265 - Butterfly Bell, 7-inches tall (butterfly on tip of the handle)
9266 - Bow and Drape Bell, 4-1/2 inches tall
9268 -Bow and Drape Bell(9268 and 9266 are the same shape.9268 is the tallest at 6-inches tall.)
9560 - Templebells Bell, 6-1/2 inch tall
9667 - Aurora Bell. 6-inches tall
9763 - Heart HandleBell, 4-1/2 inches tall
9764 - Heart Handle Bell (9763 and 9764 are the same shape, but 9764 is the large size - 6-1/2 inches)
2768 - Bell shape is shown in the photo below.


Fenton's gepleteWare Number
As you probably know, there is more to identifying a bell design then just the mould number. Fenton also adds a few alpha characters to each mould number to designate a particular design. Usually the mould number is the first 4 digits and the design is the last2 digits. This entire catalog name or number isusually referred to as a"ware number". (For example, see the opening photo. The ware number 7463EDconsists of the mould number "7463" (designating the mould used to craft the bell) and the"ED" which designates thedesign(type of glass and painted design) linethat the bell originally appeared with in the catalog. If a piecewas not a part of a design line, then it is considered an "off line" piece, but will still have additional identifying alphaor numeric characters in the ware numberbeside the mould number.
One of the best ways to identify aFenton bell is to invest in a collector's book.There aremany Fenton Glass Collector's Books availablethrough the Fenton Art Glass gepany or on okay. A collector's book is often the most helpful in identifying an item because these books usually provide information on pieces that were produced for special occasions and pieces that did not appear in the Fenton catalog. Examples of these pieces would be items produced for QVC and trade shows. (Newer items produced specifically for QVC can be found through the QVC website or through a link provided on the Fenton website under "catalogs".)
If you need quick information or are looking for relatively new pieces,another great place to investigate isthe Fenton Art Glass website. This website includes online catalogs fromthe year 2000 to present and online pricing guides. Whenusing this online catalog, it isimportant to understand thatall bellswill not be shown lumped together in a single exhibit (with the exception of a Bell Medley consists of a few bell designs lumped togetherin a package).Mostbellswill be found with their associated line of pieces which may include lamps, bowls, ring holders, etc. Therefore, if you do not know the name of the collection or the year of production, you will need to browse each entire catalog to find your bell.
Fenton Bell okay Value
Collector's books and catalogs can generally give you good guidance on the value of a piece. Another excellent way to determine value is tomonitorokay for auctions on similar pieces.Fenton glassbells canbe found in a few different catagories. Listings for the cats are sometimes under "Pottery and Glass" and also "Collectables". When searching okay, keywords such asFenton Glass Bellentered under "All Categories" are normally specific enough and, yet, general enough to bring up the mostlistings. These keywords willalsofind other Fentonpieces that may have a bell shape.
If abell thatyouown or would like to own shows up for auctionyou maychoose to "Watch"the item before deciding to buy (or sell)to get a feel for the overall popularity of the piece. After all, the real monetary value of a piece depends on how much someone is willing to pay for it. But, as mostof the okay gemunity knows, prices and demand vary from week to week and certain factors influence the ultimate price.
Critical Information for okay Listings
Photos
When listing items on okay for auction, photos are a must when selling glass of any type.Two or more clear photos that show more than one side of the bellare the better than one just photograph. If there is acrack or scratch and you can photograph it,please provide that photo.Divulging flawsmay lower your selling price, but will win you great feedback and happy customers. Photographing a flaw (if possible) mayeven increase your chances of selling that piece because then the buyer can see how minor or major the flaw really is.
I admit that the photos in this guide are not the clearest. I took them about 200 miles away from my home and can't easily repeat the process. If I were trying to sell these bells, I wouldrephotograph themusing my camera's settingwhich allows for closeup photography.
When trying to photograph anyitem for auction (especially translucent bells) it's best to pick a background color thatdoesn'tblend into the bell itself. If you willnotice, my previous photos were taken using an oak table background. For the pink translucent bell (shown below), I switched to the bluecarpet for mybackground because it was easier to see the bell against the blue rather than against the oak.


Size
As mentioned in the previous info, Fenton makes several bells using the same shape but different sizes. Therefore, if you are selling a bell, please include the height of the bell in your description of the bell. Even if you have a photo, it is very difficult to judge height when looking at a photograph.
When you are buying a bell,it is best that youask the seller about the height ofthe bell if height does matterto you. This may be especiallyimportant if you are looking fora particular height to geplete a collection or if you are planning to place the bell in a display case oron a shelf where space is limited. Once youhave the height dimension,gepare it against a ruler or tapemeasure to make sure that it is really the size thatyou have in your mind.
Remember, also, that as theheight of the bell changes the diameter of the bell also changes in proportion. Therefore, it is alsogood to list or requestthe diameter measurement for the bell.
Quality
Fenton does release factory seconds which present a production flaw. These less-than-top-quality pieces are typically marked with a boxed F or a star in order to identify them as seconds. Also, the moulded Fenton logo may be missing from a factory second. (Themoulded Fenton mark or logo was not added to pieces until circa 1973 and, therefore, its absence will not alwayssignal a factory second.) These pieces are not as highly valuedby collectors as the highest quality pieces. Before purchasing a piece, it is best to ask about indications that the piece may be a second.
Condition
The condition of the bell, of course, is extremely important to mention in an okay auction. Buyers will want to know some of the following items:

Is the Fenton sticker intact?
Is the clapper intact?
Does the area where the clapper attachesappear damaged or repaired?
Are there are cracks or dings on the piece?
Are there any bubbles in the glass?
Does the piece appear warped or does it show some other quality that makes you suspect it is a second quality item?
Signature
It is good practice to indicate if the piece is signed and provide the name signed (if you can read it). A signature by a Fenton family member can increase the value of the piece. Be aware that your piece will (most likely) only have an artist's signature if it was painted.
Resources
Although the information in this guide was obtained from several Fenton Catalogs (see Fenton's website for some of the more recent catalogs) there are manyFenton collector's books that are a must for serious Fenton collectors. One such book is Fenton Art Glass Patternsby Margaret Whitmyer. The book provides hundreds of pictures of fabulousFenton pieces along with pricing information.
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