Colonial style was hot hot hot back in the 1950s and 60s. Furniture was colonial, dishes were heavy with early American motifs, people hung old fashioned curtains and used rag rugs. (My mom detested the style, thankfully. We had the other hot style, Mid-Century Modern including the kitchen with pink walls, charcoal counter tops and charcoal with pink asbestos tile floor.)
This is the era when Fostoria’s Colony pattern reached its popularity peak and Fostoria released etches like Sampler with its early American motifs.
Another top pattern was Coin. Other companies had glassware with coin motifs – in fact the US made direct coin replication illegal – but it was Fostoria who made it popular and accessible to the middle and upper middle class. There is an excellent article in the Central Kentucky News about Coin (link no longer works). Like me the author remembers when high end jewelry stores were full of Fostoria fine crystal.
Over the years I have avoided buying this pattern since Lancaster Colony reproduced many pieces, but we do have one photo to share, the short ruby red candle holder. Colony never reproduced either size of candle holder.
Coin looks heavy and it has a heft to it similar to other Fostoria colonial-styled pressed patterns like Colony or Argus, but it isn’t as massive as it looks. The candle holder has a hollow base which keeps the weight.
Fostoria made Coin strictly as an accessory/decorative line, with a few pieces of stemware, tumblers and dessert plates. They made a punch bowl and cup but no saucer, no dinner plate. Instead you can find a myriad of lamps, salver, vases, urns, pitchers, candy jars, ashtrays (many sizes; people smoked back then) and decorative bowls. This was not intended to be dinnerware or luncheon service. Imagine how you could decorate with this pattern, and use the bowls and drink ware for a party.
From what I read in Collectible Glassware from the 40s, 50s & 60s bu Gene Florence, Colony reproduced many pieces within the 1990’s and 2000’s, mostly popular, easily salable items like the candy dish, tall urn, creamer and sugar, salver, nappy. Florence states the Colony amber, blue and green colors are different enough that you can spot them as reproductions but crystal and red are virtually identical. The abundant reproductions caused prices to decline. If you like this pattern it’s worth spending time to learn the pieces that have been remade and get familiar with the price levels.