OK, I'm hoping this one is very solvable, because I truly believe the answer is out there and possibly could be found with deep enough digging in the right place, maybe on the Wayback Machine.
A brief background
The Indiana Glass Company operated out of Dunkirk, Indiana from 1907 to 2002. During that time, they produced millions of pieces of glassware, which have become collectible today. And perhaps no item they made is more prolific and collectible than the Glass Hen on Nest Covered Dish.
Indiana Glass Hens can be found in flea markets, antique stores, estate sales, and anywhere else where vintage items can be found. The market is absolutely flooded with them. Literally millions were made and sold during their heyday (mostly the 70s thru 90s.) Today they have a very active collector's community, and you can see them selling every day on sites like ebay, etsy, mercari, and many others.
Different colors are more scarce than others, and fetch a higher price. That being said, even the harder to find colors typically don't go for very much. With one exception.
The curious case of the Cobalt Blue Indiana Hen
Indiana Hen collectors are aware of an anomaly: there exists a Cobalt Blue Indiana Hen, which has odd traits, that is exceptionally scarce compared to the other colors. Considered a "Holy Grail" item, they always fetch an absurd price on ebay, typically going for $1,000 or more. People have described to me that they've collected these for 25+ years and never seen a cobalt in person.
So, what's the mystery here?
If all there was to this was being a hard to find item, it would require no further thought. The true mystery here is that the Cobalt Blue Indiana Hen is different than every other Indiana Glass Hen. Author Shirley Smith describes this in her Glass Hen on Nests Covered Dishes Identification Guide book:
> May or may not have circle on the back. No small bumps on back end of comb. Rumored to be slightly larger than other Indiana Hens
In addition to this, those lucky enough to find one have noted that it appears crudely made, and full of flaws.
It's well established in the community that these descriptions hold true. Here is a picture of one, with the differences highlighted
The mysterious thing here is that the Indiana Hen is a factory mass-produced item, made from a mold. So
... keep reading on reddit ➡
I’m planning on living my best Carrie Bradshaw life for my wedding next summer, so snagged these beauties during a sale at Saks. I think they’re pretty well-repped (note though that I do not own a pair of reps) but I haven’t had amazing luck with the comfort of rep heels so went auth.
The photos are pretty true to color, taken using my sunlight lamp on the most neutral setting. The sparkles are even more glittery in real life. Take a look at the glazing on one of the heels though! It’s so messy.
[ B,D] SOLD ESTERBROOK SJ - Newly Restored - Cobalt Blue w/ NOS 1554 GREGG Renew Nib
Just completely disassembled, new sac installed, tested, and hand polished.
Times Stamp & Gallery:https://imgur.com/a/fuj2GP6
Original Box and Insert in unusually good condition. Pen shows no sign of use - Possibly a display model or gift that was never put to use.
Asking $80 includes standard domestic shipping. Shipped in a crush-resistant protective pen tube.
Shipping to CONUS only.
Priority shipping additional $5.00 (Recommended)
Sorry - not considering trades at this time.
Payment by PayPal Goods and Services only.
Please comment before contacting to discuss. Thanks.
Watching this Thursday January 13th, 2022 episode.
Three almost back-to-back scenes where one or more or ALL characters are wearing cobalt blue. Why so much cobalt blue? Even the woman dressed as a nun is wearing cobalt blue! Nuns wear black and white only!
Cobalt blue is one of my favorite colors. But this is a lot of cobalt blue!
Is it the lighting? The guy talking with the fake nun is cobalt blue only when shot from the front?
And the dim lighting. The scene where cobalt blue wearing Detective Lani Grant tersely tells another cobalt blue wearing detective, “I’m being set up!”
The lighting is so dim, I expected the other detective tersely telling Grant that he was going to hurt his eyes reading in dim light. Get a desk lamp already!
