The following treasure is from the living estate of Ailene & Buddy Ford; noted dealers and lifelong collectors of exceptional antique & vintage heirlooms. The Ford estate presents highly valuable items from a diverse group of genres, 95% + in excellent condition. This exquisite estate has something for every eclectic collector! xxxxxxxxxxx. The AEAA is exceptionally pleased to present the next of a mammoth group of approximately (100) Rare & beautiful Mt. Washington + Rodefer Glass/ hand finished C.F. Monroe, Wave Crest pieces, to be sold over several auctions, including incredible Kelva & Nakara examples. This lot represents a gorgeous Wave Crest puffy mold cologne bottle with its original Sterling silver lid. This 2.75 inch x 2.75 inch tall example is block script signed, and is in excellent condition, with a gorgeous hand enhanced transfer ca. 1905-1907. Weighing 8 oz., this classic Mt. Washington / Wave Crest heirloom is a must for any display. xxxxxxxxxxx. In 1877, Charles Fabyan Monroe was hired as a decorator by the Meriden Flint Glass Co. He showed such promise and imagination, that he was frequently sent abroad to study new designs and techniques of European glass manufacturers. Having developed an exceptional sense of style, C.F. Monroe opened his first shop in Meriden, CT. in 1880, located at 36 West Main Street, operating initially in the format of a European glass importer. Shortly thereafter in 1882, he began his decorating studio, and by 1885 had opened an art academy also in Meriden, that became the C.F. Monroe opal glass decorating works in 1886. The C.F. Monroe Co. was formally incorporated in 1892, and introduced the Wave Crest line that was patented on Oct. 4, of that same year. Using primarily the highly stylized original glass forms from Mt. Washington / Pairpoint Glass, the Monroe decorations became some of the most beloved creations of the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras. When the 1890’s arrived and the demand for finely decorated glass was its height, the Monroe company was located in several large buildings on the corner of West Main Street and Capitol Avenue, and employed such fine artists as Carl V. Helmschmied (the Helmschmied swirl pattern was designed and patented by C.F. Monroe Co. during Carl’s employ), Walter Nilson, J.J. Knoblauch, Joseph Hickish, Carl Puffee, Flora Fiest, Gustave Reinman, Florence Knoblauch, Emil Melchior, and Alma Wenk, Blanche Duval, Gussie Stremlan, Elizabeth Zeibart, and Elizabeth Casey. While many of Monroe’s most commercial pieces were signed, a large number of the finest pieces, especially in the Wave Crest line were not signed. In the opinion of renowned expert Wilfred R. Cohen, in his masterwork “Wave Crest – The Glass of C.F. Monroe”, he states that “In my opinion, the signature is totally unnecessary in 99.9% of C.F. Monroe glass, and does not make the piece worth more or less. The glass and decoration are usually so distinctive, to even the early collector, that it can easily be recognized as a piece of C.F. Monroe. As Monroe himself believed, his glass does speak for itself, and no serious student of glass needs a signature, true or otherwise, early or late, in identifying the elegancies produced by this fine company. The financial details are not entirely clear, however by the start of WW I, external pressures were taking a major toll on C.F. Monroe. Consequently, the glass decorating works only survived until 1916, when inexplicably, Monroe took a lesser position as the glass foreman for Edward Miller & Co. Glass Works of Meriden. Stranger yet, C.F. Monroe soon relinquished the position at E. Miller & Co., subsequently moving to New Hampshire in 1919, C.F. Monroe passed away quietly on Nov. 19, 1919 at his home in Meriden, and was buried in the Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, R.I.

XA - B187 - Excellent condition