Basket: L.E. Smith Glass, Quintec, Pink Carnival Glass, Original Smith Label, USA, Vintage 1970s - SOLD

A beautiful pink carnival glass basket in the intricate Quintec pattern from Smith Glass, still carrying its original "Smith Hand Crafted" label.

• Maker: L.E. Smith Glass Company
• Pattern: Quintec
• Materials: Pink carnival glass
• Dimensions: 7" tall x 7" long x 5.5" wide
• Origin: USA
• Era: Vintage 1970s
• Condition: Excellent. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

Quintec was originally made by McKee as a less expensive version of the fine cut glass of the period. The molds were bought and sold through the years, eventually landing with Smith Glass, and in 1971, when L.E. Smith entered the carnival glass market, they used the Quintec molds. This pattern is well loved and highly collectible, and this specific basket is a rare find: it is marked on the bottom with the Smith "S" (not all Smith pieces are marked), and it also retains its original label that reads "Smith Hand Crafted."

We have seen these filled with potpourri, candles or soaps in the bathroom, and they are perfect in a girl's room, though of course the basket looks perfect on its own. A great piece of decor for Valentine's Day or Easter.

The L.E. Smith Glass Company was in business for over 100 years. It was founded in 1907 by Louis E. Smith and Charles Wible, who used Smith's name because they thought it was easier to remember than "Wible." In 1909 the L.E. Smith Glass Co. of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, purchased the Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, plant of the Anchor Glass Co. in a bankruptcy sale, and it reopened under Smith in January 1910. Mr. Smith left the company in 1911 to become a salesman for Westmoreland Glass, though his name continued to be used. L.E. Smith began producing colored glass in the mid 1920s, making pink, green, amber, yellow, amethyst and cobalt pieces as early as 1926, and in the late 1920s it devised a formula for black glass that set it apart from other manufacturers. The company expanded into Depression glass dinnerware, hurricane lamps, lamp shades, perfume bottles, cigarette lighters and more, then into decorative glassware in the 1950s. In the 1960s it experimented with iridescent glass, and in January 1971 it went into production with Contemporary Carnival Glass. Also in 1971, Owens-Illinois purchased the company, with Smith operating as a wholly owned subsidiary. L.E. Smith stopped production in June 2004 and was sold in bankruptcy in 2005.

Browse our shop for more Smith Glass and vintage glass baskets to round out your collection.