Last firing on the river acre · In 12 active carts · 23 pieces left
Wendell's Keepsake Hand-Blown Decanters
Wendell's Keepsake Hand-Blown Decanters
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Double-boxed with foam — breakage replaced free
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Wendell's Keepsake Hand-Blown Decanters
Blown by mouth in the Ohio Valley — from the last figural glass shop left standing
Wendell Boggess, 71, has worked the same bench outside Williamstown, West Virginia since 1975. His acre was sold out from under him. The furnace goes cold on October 31, and these are the last pieces to come off it.
“They take the land, and I get the invoice for clearing it off. So no, I’m not pricing these wrong — the alternative is a dumpster.”
— Wendell Boggess, glassblower, 51 years at the same bench
What makes it different
The Ninety-Second Window
Glass only moves between 1,600 and 2,000°F. Every beak, tread and handlebar was pulled by hand inside a minute and a half before it went back in the fire.
The Fourteen-Hour Descent
Down from 900°F to room temperature over fourteen hours in the annealing oven, so the wall contracts evenly. Factory glass is often cooled in under an hour.
High-Borosilicate Wall
Not cheap soda-lime. It takes more heat to work, and it is why the piece handles a sunny windowsill or a cold pour without complaint.
The Fitted Stopper
Ground to its own neck, one at a time, until it seats. No two are interchangeable — and nothing inside quietly goes flat over a summer.
The Ground Pontil
Turn it over. The polished scar on the base is where the piece was broken from the rod by hand. It is the one mark a mold cannot fake.
The Suspension Pack
Double-walled carton, the glass suspended in cut foam so nothing touches the outer wall — the way a laboratory ships instruments.
A curator’s note
“Mouth-blown figural glass in the Ohio Valley is effectively at its end — there are more people who collect it than there are people who can still make it. And there is exactly one mark a mold cannot reproduce: the ground pontil on the base. If it has one, a person made it. If it does not, a machine did.”
Dr. Marion Ellery, curator of decorative arts, Ohio Valley regional collection
Five figures — each one started with somebody asking
Perfect for
Five things worth knowing
- Blown by mouth, not pressed. No mold seam anywhere on the piece, because there was never a mold to come apart.
- Six to nine gathers per figure. Traditionally a team of four. Wendell has run it with two men since 2009.
- Properly annealed. Fourteen hours in the lehr is the step that decides whether it is still whole in twenty years.
- Ground pontil on every base. Check it in four seconds. It is the signature of a piece somebody actually made.
- Nobody is making more. The furnace has burned continuously since 1978 and goes cold this October.
30-Day Guarantee
Thirty days to send it back for a full refund, no explanation needed. If it arrives damaged, email a photo and a replacement ships the same week at no cost.
Please read before ordering: the size
This is a tabletop keepsake, not a bar-sized carafe. Each figure holds roughly 300 ml / 10 fl oz. It is meant to sit out where it is seen and pour a measure or two. People expecting a full bottle are surprised; people who wanted the piece on the shelf are not.
And because each one is blown by hand, no two are identical. Slight variation in wall thickness, tint and the exact set of the stopper is the nature of the work, not a defect.
Product details
| Material | High-borosilicate glass, mouth-blown |
| Capacity | Approx. 300 ml / 10 fl oz |
| Figures | Bald Eagle · Motorcycle · Farm Tractor · Dachshund · Owl |
| Closure | Hand-fitted stopper, ground to its own neck |
| Base | Ground pontil mark |
| Care | Hand wash in warm water, air dry. Not dishwasher safe. |
| Use | Display piece and short-term decanter. Not for long-term storage of spirits. |
| Made by | Wendell Boggess, Williamstown, West Virginia |
| Packaging | Double-walled carton with cut-foam suspension cradle |
| Remaining | 283 pieces — the shop clears on October 31 |
The Last 283
The Last 283
A note from the shop on the river acre:
Wendell Boggess has blown glass at the same bench outside Williamstown, West Virginia since 1975 — the furnace he and his father laid by hand in 1978 has not been off a single day since. In February the riverfront acre his father leased in 1961 was sold to an investment group, and the lease requires him to hand the ground back clear by October 31. There are 283 pieces left in his annealing room. When the furnace goes cold, the firebrick cracks and it cannot be relit — so there is no next batch, and no next season.
Size, Shipping & Safe Arrival
Size, Shipping & Safe Arrival
Please read the size note before you order.
- Capacity approx. 300 ml (10 fl oz). This is a display piece for a shelf, bar or sideboard — noticeably smaller than a full-size liquor bottle. Every photo shows it beside everyday objects so you can judge the scale.
- Mouth-blown high-borosilicate glass, sealed stopper, hand-polished pontil mark on the base.
- Free shipping across the United States, 3–5 business days, tracked.
- Each decanter ships double-boxed in cut foam. If anything arrives cracked, send one photo and a replacement goes out the same week at no cost.
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@cedarandtinco.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET). Whether it’s about your order, which figure is still in stock, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Live with it on the shelf for a week, and if it isn’t right for your room, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 30 days for a full refund. US shipping is free. If it arrives damaged, send one photo and a replacement ships the same week at no cost.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Mouth-blown in high-borosilicate glass at Wendell’s bench outside Williamstown, West Virginia. Six to nine gathers per figure, roughly ninety seconds of working time each, then fourteen hours cooling in the annealing oven. Every stopper is ground to its own neck and every base carries a hand-polished pontil mark. Approx. 300 ml. No two are identical.