Have you ever seen a listing online for a piece of glass that says “line number thus and so”? The line number is the shape that the glass company used to catalog its pieces. Another term is “blank”. A blank is a piece in a given line that does not reference decoration, or a plain, undecorated piece. Sometimes the blank has a pattern name plus the line number.
Most companies used certain popular lines over and over to hold etchings or cut designs. For example, Fostoria used their popular Sceptre blank, Line Number 6017 (also called Stem 6017) for some favorite etched patterns like Lido, Romance and Shirley. We would call this the Lido etched Sceptre sherbet, or the Lido etched line 6017 sherbet.
Fostoria Lido Etched Sceptre Crystal Sherbet – Vintage Stemware
They used Sceptre for cuttings like Cynthia and Laurel, plus the gold trimmed Simplicity.
Fostoria Glass Cynthia Cut Crystal Sceptre Low Sherbert
You can also buy and use Sceptre by itself without any decoration. Here is a sherbet we had. You can see the shape is identical to the Cynthia sherbet, but this one has no cut or etched design.
Fostoria Sceptre Crystal Sherbet
Companies made some lines to include only stemware, some to be mostly gift items like candy jars or vases, but most of the elegant glass that we collect today, patterns like Cambridge Rose Point or Fostoria Chintz, were issued in stemware, dinnerware and accessory pieces. Often glass companies put the same etch on multiple lines or blanks.
Fostoria Chintz Baroque Compote Etched Elegant Crystal
Cambridge seemingly put Rose Point on every blank they had (an exaggeration, but it feels that way when I’m trying to identify exactly which line number I have!). Fostoria often used lovely stem shapes like Sceptre for goblets but blanks like Baroque (Line 2496) for dinnerware and accessories.
Fostoria Lido Etched Crystal Baroque Flared Console Bowl
Chintz for example is on several blanks including Greenbriar stems, Baroque dinnerware and even a few pieces from the Flame, Fairfax and Sonata lines.
Fostoria Glass Chintz Etched Duo Sonata Candle Holder
The glass designers looked for shapes that complemented the etch and looked good together. Another reason to put an etch on multiple blanks is to reduce cost. If a company always used the Fairfax center handled server, then they did not need to develop a Baroque center handled server. You’ll see this economy of lines in pieces like vases or candy dishes that were marketed as gift ware.
You don’t have to memorize line numbers to enjoy glass. The only time to be aware of the number is if you are looking for a decoration that is on more than one line number, such as Rose Point. Otherwise it’s fun little bit of trivia!