King's Crown Glassware

While King's Crown Glassware is generally considered a "40s50s60s" pattern, it has a long history and was made for many years by several different glass companies. It can be very confusing!!

King’s Crown was originally known as Thumbprint. It was first made by US Glass Company in the late 1800s. Tiffin Glass picked up the line after that and made it through the 1960s.

In the 1970s, Indiana Glass bought the molds and began making it, although they made slight changes to the pattern.

To confuse the matter even more, over 20 glass companies have made similar patterns through the years. The pieces made by Indiana may also be called pattern number 77, American Crown and Thumbprint.

According to Gene Florence's Collectible Glassware from the 40s, 50s, 60s, the Tiffin molds had more elongated thumbprints, while the Indiana ones were more circular. Also the Tiffin King's Crown tumblers were flared at the top and the ones made by Indiana were straight, and the Tiffin plates have starred designs in the center, while the Indiana ones do not.

Obviously, the pieces made earlier by Tiffin are more valuable that the later pieces made by Indiana Glass.

Although most collectors think of the Ruby Top when they think of this pattern, it was also made in clear, with other colors such as cranberry, blue, green, yellow and with gold or platinum rims.

Because the colors were "flashed" on (added after the piece was made, the color is vert prone to scratch or wear off, which makes pieces with the flashing completely intact more valuable.

Here are the current listings on eBay:

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