Viking Prelude is so lovely. It’s an appealing pattern to collect for your home; use the candle holders for elegant lighting or bowls and vases, or get the stemware for lovely table settings. And Prelude is available and affordable.
I’ve seen Prelude at almost every decent antique mall I’ve been to, usually just a piece or two. Pieces are available online too.
Replacements has many accessory pieces and dinnerware plus stemware in stock; a quick check shows about half the pattern pieces are available there. There are several hundred listings on eBay and it looks like one could find quite a few items in good condition.
Neither site today (May 2020) has the hard to find cocktail shaker or epergne, but both show the lovely swan candy and you could get a mayonnaise set on eBay.
Prelude is one of those fun patterns to collect: You easily can find enough pieces to enjoy while saving some rare birds for a longer hunt. If you enjoy shopping for antiques you don’t want to get everything on your first try.
Prelude remains affordable. Water goblets and iced tea tumblers are around $10 online, while wines are $30-40. Remember to factor in shipping.
Cake salvers with silver bases are listed at $40 online today, slightly more than shown in my 2008 reference book, when their book value was $35 before. Single candle holders are $20 or under as are the most common double light shape.
One thing about large patterns like Prelude is that many pieces are reasonably priced and with so many to choose among you could choose to get a $20 bowl instead of a slightly different one that is $50. It’s up to you to get what you like consistent with your cost preferences.
To summarize our series on Prelude:
- Viking Glass made their lovely Prelude etch from about 1948 to 1982 in crystal
- Morgantown likely made some of the blown crystal stemware for Viking
- You can find a full range of accessory pieces, many goblets and tumblers and a basic dinnerware service
- You can easily get enough pieces in person or online to enjoy while other pieces are elusive enough that you can go antiquing for years
- Prices are overall on the affordable end for vintage etched crystal.