"Viking #996 Horse Shoe Ashtray goes back to the 50's!" by Preston Ver Meer The Horse Shoe Ashtray goes back to the days when people still used horses in maintaining everyday life. In their Book II The New Martinsville Glass Story Everett and Addie Miller show an early advertisement on page 50 that dates back to the 20 s or 30 s. There is a photo of the #412 4 Inch and #442 6 Inch Horse Shoe Ashtrays. No #996-3 Inch was shown at that time. There are at least 25 different colors on the 3.5 Inch Horse Shoe Ashtray and we have all but a few in the Gallery. The Horse Shoe Ashtray was listed in my 1951 Viking Catalog and 1949 Viking Price List, but not the #996 I show here. The #412 4 Inch Horse Shoe Ashtray from earlier was not listed. Now the Viking Catalog pictured the #413 4.5 Inch and the #442 6 Inch. They were listed in 2 different styles, Plain and C & P meaning Cut and Polished. The 1953 Viking Price List still shows the #413 4.5 Inch and the #442 6 Inch. Now they introduced the #996 3 Inch Horse Shoe Ashtray. They were sold single and as a 4 piece mixed color set. Colors made at that time were; Crystal, Ebony (Black)(Above Right), Amber, Evergreen(Above Left), Harvest Gold, Colonial Blue, and Ruby. The 1953 Colonial Blue color may have been made a little earlier but it was only in the line a couple years. I have no reference of it after 1953. The Colonial Blue (Right)is very close in color to the Spring Blue made in 1980. The Colonial Blue is just a couple shades darker. I do not believe the Horse Shoe Ashtray was made in Spring Blue in 1980. It will come out in time but I think the Harvest Gold and Colonial Blue are very scarce colors in this Ashtray. Harvest Gold was introduced in 1953 and I think it was only made one year SCARCE! All 3 of the Horse Shoe sizes were listed in the 1955 Viking Catalog. The January 1, 1956 Price List listed the same number in the Horse Shoe Ashtray but now more colors were added. The 1956 Viking Price List shows the listed specifically under the colors Amber, Ebony, Emerald Green, Charcoal and Midnight. NEW NAMES DON'T ALWAYS MEAN NEW COLORS Viking Kept making changes! page 1 / 6
The 1956 Viking Price List is now showing colors Amethyst, Midnight (Ebony Satin Finish), Emerald Green, Cherry Pink and Glamor Gold. Glamor Gold and Harvest Gold may be the same colors, I just don't know at this time. Some of these colors are hard to separate. These early colors were not around that long and not that many items were made in each color. Amethyst (Above) is just a shade lighter than the Plum color made for a short time in the mid 70's. You notice I am missing the Cherry Pink and the Midnight (Ebony Satin Finish). That is a good indication as to how hard these little guys are to come by. Emerald Green (Left) is a tough color to find in any of these early Viking pieces. It also seemed to disappear from the price list around 1958 or 1959. I think most of these colors were dropped by 1960. It was shortly after this time when they introduced Avocado, Bluenique and Persimmon. Amber (Right) was one of the original Viking colors for the Horse Shoe Ashtray! The 1960 Viking Catalog was still listing the #413 4.5 Inch and the #442 6 Inch Horse Shoe Ashtrays in Crystal only. They showed a photo of 4 - #996 Ashtray s in the 4-Piece Sets they were selling in mixed colors. Charcoal (Left) was one of the original Viking colors for the Horse Shoe Ashtray! The 1962 Viking Catalog showed 2 groups of the 4-Piece Set of the #996 Horse Shoe Ashtrays on page 12. It also continued to show the #413 4.5 Inch and the #442 6 Inch. I think colors remained pretty much the same but in 1962 Viking introduced Avocado and Teaberry. Chrystal (Right) was one of the original Viking colors for the Horse Shoe Ashtray! This Crystal example of the Horse Shoe Ashtray has a Logo Etched in the Back Side. They were made originally in Crystal but I don't know for sure if they were etched in the early 50's. I will do more research on these. page 2 / 6
Crystal was in & out of the production line for years and may have been poured later. (Ruby Left)was also a color that was in & out of production and sold later in sets of 4. It is probably one of the easier colors, but most liked, to get today. I think very few of these were made early. They were in production in larger quantities later on when they were sold in sets of 4. 1962 or there about Viking made more changes to the color selection by dropping earlier colors and adding Avocado(For Green), Bluenique and Persimmon. The 1964 Viking Catalog had dropped the #413 4.5 Inch and the #442 6 Inch Horse Shoe Ashtrays. The #996 was still listed individually and in sets of 4. The 1964 Viking Price List showed these Ashtrays made in the following colors; Avocado, Bluenique, Honey (Amber) and Persimmon were now shown as new colors. Not made in the previous colors and not shown made in Ruby at this time. The 1966-1967 Viking Catalog shows, a set of 4 Ruby,of the #996, Horse Shoe Ashtray on page 7 under the Epic heading. The Amber one was shown on page 9 all by itself. I am sure they were still running on the same inventory colors. The 1968-1969 Viking Catalog shows a lone Ruby Horse Shoe Ashtray on page 7 again under the Epic heading. The Smoking Section had a set of 4 pictured in Amber, Bluenique, Persimmon and Avocado. My Catalog came from the floor of the Viking Factory when they closed and it has Out in 69 written by the photo of the 4 Horse Shoe Ashtray's. I really don't know if that meant they were out or they were taken out of production. The January 1, 1968 Viking Price List shows the Horse Shoe 3 - #996 Ashtrays made in the Thistle color. Thistle was only shown page 3 / 6
in this Catalog. I do not have this piece in the Gallery. Thistle and Lime Vaseline (Left) were only made one year. Thistle in 68-69 Catalog and Lime only in 1970 The 1970 Viking Catalog still had the #996 Set of Four Horse Shoe Ashtrays shown on page 6. The 1970 viking Catalog was showing the #996 Horse Shoe Ashtray made in Lime, Amber, Bluenique, Persimmon, Avocado and Ruby. The Ashtrays were now selling for $1.50 each, in standard colors, $2.00 in Ruby and $12.50 for the 4-Piece Set. The 1971 and 1972 Viking Catalogs continued to carry the same standard 5 colors Ruby, Amber, Bluenique, Persimmon and Avocado. They were listed individually in the Price list now selling for $1.75 and $2.00 for Ruby. No 4-Piece Set was now being offered. These same colors and Prices were offered in the 1973 and 1974 Viking Catalogs and Price List. Brown was now a production color but the 1975-1976 Viking Catalog showed only the same colors and this Ashtray and was not showing it made in Brown in the November 4,1974 Viking Price List. They were now selling for $2.00 and $2.50 each. The 1976-1977 Viking Catalog shows the standard 5 colors Ruby, Amber, Bluenique, Persimmon and Avocado pictured on page 13. Now the November 1, 1976 Viking Price List had this Ashtray shown made in Brown. I do not have a Brown in the Gallery at this time. Now prices were all $3.00 each. The April 1, 1977 Viking Price List listed the same items and colors. Viking Introduced The Crystal Satin again in 1977-1978 Viking Catalogs. Colors added were Bluenique (Left), Charcoal Blue, Amber, Avocado and Orange Satin Glass! The 1977-1978 Viking Catalogs only showed the Ruby #996 on page 15 with a dozen or so other Viking Ashtrays. It seems like Viking is beginning to fade out the #996 Horse Shoe Ashtray. Just about the time you think the #996 is done Viking pulls a fast one. They came back with the Black and Crystal Satin items in page 4 / 6
1977-1978 Viking Catalog. They did not show the #996 Horse Shoe Ashtray in this Catalog but they were listed in the November 1, 1977 Price list. They showed pictures of a mixture of Smoking Items made in colors Amber and Bluenique on page 19 and the Horse Shoe Ashtray was included. This Charcoal Bluenique Satin (Right) is a very Scarce! The 1978-1979 Viking Catalog shows the Black and Crystal Satin #996 3 inch Ashtray on page 16. There was a full page display of Black and Crystal Satin Smoking items. The November 1, 1977 Viking Price List had other Colored Satin colors listed for the #996 but no photos. They were listing this Ashtray available in Green, Blue, Amber (Left) and Orange Satin for $3.50 each. The 1979 1980 Viking Catalogs brought out the photos of the #996 Horse Shoe Ashtray made in all the above Satin Colors. They were pictured with other Satin Colored items on pages 11 and 12. Prices are in the last paragraph. Pages 20 and 21 shows the Ruby and Crystal #996 with the Amber and Bluenique shown on page 22. The 1980 Viking Price List showed the Ruby selling for $4.50 and the Avocado, Amber, Bluenique, Persimmon and Brown selling for $3.95. No Crystal or Colored Satin items were listed in the 1980-1981 Prices. There must have been a very limited production. I am figuring in the high double digits to low 100 s in each color. The 1980 1981 Viking Catalog showed the Standard Colors beginning with the Avocado and Ruby shown with other Smoker Items on Pages 22 and 23. Smoker items on page 24 pictured the Amber, Brown and Bluenique #996 Horse Shoe Ashtray. The 1981-1982 Viking Catalog did not show any #996 Horse Shoe Ashtrays. The 1983 Supplement to the 1982 Viking Catalog didn t show any Smoking Items and it appeared Vikings inventory was beginning to show that the Smoker was dying off in the world and Smoking Items were not a main inventory staple anymore. The 1984-1985 Viking Catalog, the last year I have, only showed a half page of Smoking items but guess what? The #996 Horse Shoe Ashtray was shown on page 23 in the Sterling Grey color. The January 1, 1984 and Viking Price List showed the #996 in colors Sterling Grey, Crystal and Peach (Above). All were selling for $3.25 each. The January 1, 1985 Price List had them at $3.50 each. There were none of the #996 Ashtrays listed in the January 1, 1986 Price List. Conclusion: Smoking items are getting to be a highly collectable page 5 / 6
category. Some of these #996 colors are very scarce and are bringing prices pushing $50 each. They are easy to collect and display well in a very small setting. If you are going to try to complete this collection you are going to have a very tough time getting all 25 colors. The way the stock market closed in 2007 these little Ashtrays may be a better investment! You can still go to a Garage Sale or Flea Market and you get the fun of the chase. You find one now and then for.50 or a buck!go FOR IT! HAVE FUN! 2007 VikingArtGlass.com page 6 / 6