Sandwich Patterns

by Sandy Stout Olander
Rainbow Review Glass Journal - June 1972

The feature this month will be on the Sandwich patterns. This has been one of the most talked about patterns of any one group.

There are four Sandwich patterns: Westmoreland, Duncan and Miller, Hocking and Indiana. To help eliminate confusion I will call the patterns by the factory of their origin.

Sandwich patterns Sandwich patterns I will begin with Westmoreland sandwich (Princess Feather) - illustrated in picture (No. 1) and Duncan and Miller (N0. 2). The first difference you will notice is in the cross bar in the "H". Duncan and Miller has a diamond cross bar and Westmoreland has a straight bar. At first glance this is the easiest difference to remember. Another difference is that Duncan and Miller has rosettes placed inside the bottom wings of the "H" and there are three elongated ovals both above and below the diamond cross - In the Westmoreland "H" there is a single diamond above and below the flat cross bar.

Now on to Indiana Sandwich and Hocking Sandwich (later Anchor Hocking after the merger). Both of these feature the Dahlia flower and the scroll motif. In the center of both of these patterns there is a border surrounding the center dahlia: Hocking (No. 3) features the border of "Butterflies" or six petal crosses of x's, but Indiana (No. 4) has three rows of hobnail variants much like those found in English Hobnail and Miss America.

Indiana made two different scroll motifs - downward on some and elongated on others but the center border of "hobnails" is still present.

In Indiana Sandwich the three rows of cross hatching or hobnails vary in design from piece to piece, depending on when it was made and how large the item. But regardless of the fans or hobs present, there are always three rows and NEVER one large row of "Butterflies" as in Hocking Sandwich.