Sieverdes Museum to host Millersburg Glass appraisal fair May 14

A forgotten carnival-glass bowl in a kitchen cabinet or a dusty vase on a curio shelf could be worth a second look when the Sieverdes Millersburg Glass Museum hosts an appraisal fair May 14.

From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 434 North Washington Street in Millersburg, visitors may bring up to three pieces for identification and appraisal. Admission is free, donations are appreciated, and the evening includes a special tour of the museum.

The fair gives Holmes County residents a practical way to sort family heirlooms, antique-shop finds and attic discoveries against the history of a glass line made only from 1909 to 1912. The Holmes County Historical Society says the Sieverdes museum is the only public collection in the world of Millersburg Glass, and that the museum houses about 400 pieces on the Holmes County Cultural Center campus, along Ohio’s Creativity Trail.

That rarity helps explain why Millersburg Glass still draws serious collectors. John W. Fenton started the Millersburg Glass Company in 1908, the plant opened in 1909, and the iridescent carnival glass quickly became one of the best-known names in the field. Among its most famous forms is the Millersburg People’s Vase, also called the Holland Vase. Some sources say only about ten are known to exist, and a blue example has reportedly sold at auction for $155,000.

The museum’s value story is not limited to pieces behind glass. Chris Sieverdes has curated the museum since 2007, and local reporting says the museum recently acquired a ruffled cobalt-blue vase for $250,000. For a county where heritage tourism matters, that is more than a headline price. It is a reminder that a piece of glass found in a Holmes County home may carry both monetary value and a direct link to the local past.

The appraisal fair turns that history into something residents can use now. It offers a chance to verify whether a piece is truly Millersburg Glass, to learn what makes the name matter to collectors, and to see why the museum continues to anchor local identity as well as visitor traffic in downtown Millersburg.