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In the 1940s, Morgantown dusted off the old El Mexicano molds and began production of Crinkle. New items were also added to the line. In the early 1960s, Carbone had the design patented as their own and became the sole distributor.
Morgantown made Crinkle in at least 25 colors. I cannot think of another glass pattern made in this many colors. It is difficult to reconcile all the colors with their original names. Some colors were holdovers from the 1920s/30s. Some had name changes along the way. Carbone used different names than Morgantown
Official names include Amber, Amberina, Amethyst, Blue, Bristol Blue, Crystal, Ebony, Evergreen, Gloria Blue, Golden Moss/Moss Green, Green, Gypsy Fire, Lime, Moss Green, Nutmeg, Peacock Blue, Pineapple, Pink, Randall Blue, Ruby, Shamrock Green, Steigel Green, Steel Blue, Thistle, Topaz, Violet, and White.
Colors that aren't self-explanatory: Thistle is a very pale purple. Bristol Blue is blue milk glass. Gypsy Fire is an orange-red color. Golden Moss and Moss Green are the same color. The name was just changed. Randall Blue is darker than Gloria Blue but lighter than Peacock Blue. Blue is the darkest blue shade. Steel Blue is Morgantown's name for what most people call gray. When held to the light, Steel Blue shows blue/amethyst tones. Pineapple is a bright, vibrant yellow, Nutmeg is a deep brown, and Topaz is a light, golden amber color. Amber is darker than Topaz but lighter than Nutmeg.
To say that I've been struggling with Morgantown's purples would be an understatement. Gallagher lists two: Amethyst and Violet. He mentions that Amethyst has red tones and Violet has grey tones. He does not mention Burgundy as being a Crinkle color. Carbone, in naming their colors, often used different names for Morgantown's 1960s Decor colors. So, what was Amethyst to Carbone may have been Burgundy to Morgantown. In fact, that's probable. Violet, with it's supposed grey tones, appears to be the proper name for the duller purple that is more commonly found.
I've also found another shade of green. It's shown on my 20 oz. Iced Tea, which has the Carbone label. I bought a set of them a while back and didn't think about the color. I just bought a boxed set of plates which are the same color, which is a shade lighter than the more common Green. Best I can tell, they are called Shamrock Green. Someone should have warned Morgantown they were creating a collector's nightmare with their colors!
Footed crystal items have been found with Moss Green and Ebony feet. It's possible for any color to show up in a matte finish, though only Gloria Blue, Pink, and Moss Green are known to me. Matte finished items, except in Moss Green, are considered scarce.
Morgantown's outlet held a large sale of Bristol Blue and White Crinkle at 50% off regular retail in 1962. Despite this, these colors of Crinkle are very scarce, even here in Morgantown.
When Morgantown closed in 1971, Seneca filled the remaining Crinkle orders. Every so often a piece bearing the "Crinkle by Seneca" label shows up. It should be noted that this production was nowhere close to the volume produced by Morgantown. In my collection is a Delphine Blue Double Old Fashioned. It is the only Crinkle piece I feel was probably made by Seneca.
My goal for this page is the same as for my collection—every piece of Crinkle, in every color. That's 42 items, times at least 25 colors = 1050. Not too ambitious, right?
Thanks to Toby, Kerry & Kitty for some photos!
Color Desireability (ordered from most to least, based on my experience)
Black
Bristol Blue
White
Steigel Green
Gypsy Fire
Ruby
Amberina
Blue
Pineapple
Lime
Thistle
Steel Blue
Pink
Randall Blue
Peacock Blue
Gloria Blue
Amethyst
Evergreen
Green
Violet
Crystal
Nutmeg
Topaz
Moss Green