Wendell's Keepsake Hand-Blown Decanters
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 |