Skip to main content

Martha by Mail Caramel Glass Cake Stands

My collection of L.E. Smith caramel glass cake stands from the Martha by Mail catalog is finally complete.  It took quite a while to gather each of these pieces, because I didn't have the luxury of buying them from the catalog when it was in business.  A vendor here with a set, a vendor there with one, and then the keen eye of a friend of mine (thank you Daniel!) who thought the cake stand may or may not have been a Martha by Mail piece.  That is how I acquired these cake stands. 

Martha by Mail Caramel Glass Cake Stands

This exclusive shade of slag glass was commissioned by Martha Stewart for her catalog business (Martha by Mail) in the late 1990s.  I've written  a detailed post about this collection before.  You can read about it by clicking here. 

The plain round cake stands for the catalog come in four sizes.  The smallest measures 6" in diameter and the largest measures 12" in diameter.  The ones in between measure 8" and 10" in diameter.  


I had no idea that the 6" cake stand existed in this color until my friend sent me a photo of it, and until I held it in my hand.  The stand is perfect for a pair of donuts or even some bagels to have on any given morning.

Martha by Mail Caramel Glass Cake Stands

The scalloped cake stand measures approximately 11" in diameter.  If you notice, the scalloped cake stand's hue is slightly lighter than the plain round ones.  

Martha by Mail Caramel Glass Cake Stands

What's important to know is that the scalloped cake stands in the Martha by Mail line were not marked or stamped, while the plain rounds ones were.  Don't you just love the rich caramel color and the whorls of creams found throughout the glass? 


As you can see, this cake stand is richly detailed underneath, and yet, there is no Martha by Mail stamp on it.


The plain round ones are stamped though.  Carefully flip your plain round cake stands and look for this.


You may have to tilt the cake stand just so in order for the stamp to catch the light.  


When my friend Daniel in Texas discovered this cake stand, he told me that it wasn't marked.  As soon as it arrived at my home, I checked.  Sure enough I found evidence that there had once been a stamp underneath the base.  It, however, had been filed down.  

When the Martha by Mail catalog was transitioning into The Catalog for Living, as a result of the founder's personal (not business!) legal dilemma, the publicly traded company wanted to diminish the Martha Stewart name.  To my mind, and others will agree, this was a big mistake.  Martha was always the brand and always will be.  

It's my understanding that many vendors thought it would be wise to file down the Martha by Mail stamp from the bases of their cake stands in order to make them marketable at the time.  It's almost as if they wanted to erase history.  Again, a big mistake.  



The largest of my caramel glass cake stands looks like this where the stamp was filed down.  It's ghastly, but it is something that cannot be undone.  

If you are ever shopping online or at an antique store and come across a cake stand that you think is a Martha by Mail one and you notice this upon flipping it over, then you know it is a genuine piece.  

It is my opinion as a collector that this DOES NOT take away from the value of the piece, nor does it take from the beauty of it.  

The more you know, the better off you are as a buyer.


I treated myself to a couple of donuts this weekend to celebrate this final acquisition.  A chocolate frosted donut and a cup of strong coffee was all I needed to start my day.




I want to thank my friend Daniel for being so kind and generous with this small cake stand.  Without his help I would not have completed the collection.


May you all have a healthy end of summer and may better days come our way.

Happy Collecting!
Labels:

Comments

  1. RWilliamsSeptember 7, 2020 at 11:38 PM

    Congrats on completing your fabulous collection. And it just happens to be my favorite color of the MBM line, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good Things by DavidSeptember 8, 2020 at 5:06 AM

      Thank you! I have to pinch myself just to make sure I'm not dreaming.

      Delete
  2. ANDREW RITCHIESeptember 8, 2020 at 4:57 PM

    Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank You for Posting!

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for the table come in silver, porcelain, cut glass
50 comments
Read more

Collecting Jadeite

With its origins dating back to the 1930s, jadeite glassware began its mass production through the McKee Glass Co. in Pennsylvania. Their introduction of the Skokie green & Jade kitchenware lines ushered in our fascination with this jade color.  Glassmakers catered jadeite to the American public as an inexpensive alternative to earthenware soon after the Depression, both for the home and for its use in restaurants.  The Jeanette Glass Company and Anchor Hocking introduced their own patterns and styles, which for many collectors, produced some of the most sought after pieces.  Companies marketed this beautiful glass under the monikers of jadite , jadeite , jade glass , jad-ite , jade-ite , so however you want to spell it, let it draw you in for a closer look.  If you want a thorough history of the origins of jadeite, collectors’ pricing, patterns & shapes (don’t forget the reproductions in 2000), I highly suggest picking up the book by Joe Keller & David Ross called, Jadei
48 comments
Read more

How to Paint a Chair

If you have ever felt the need to spruce up a set of chairs or give them a new look, why not try a little bit of paint?  Our tastes in decor and color will probably alter throughout our lives, and at some point, we may find ourselves wanting to change the look of our furniture without having to spend a lot of money.  That's where a few handy tips, some tools from the hardware store, and good-quality paint come in handy.   I know I'm not alone in paying visits to local antique shops, antique fairs and flea markets, and falling in love with pieces of furniture that would be perfect if they were just a different color.  You don't have to walk away from a good purchase simply because it's the wrong color.   My dear friend, Jeffrey, is forever enhancing his home with collectibles from flea markets and tag sales.  However, certain items aren't always up to Jeffrey's tastes when he brings them home.  He is the type of person who won't hesitate to chang
6 comments
Read more