Vi Hunter of Akron, Ohio, holds a place in American glass making history as being one of the few women American glass makers.  She prided herself in being in the same ranks with Elizabeth Degenhart, the first lady of glass. Vi liked to joke she was the second lady of glass. Vi produced glass from 1979 to 1985.  She designed the molds and they were manufactured by the Mosser Glass Company in Cambridge, Ohio.

I met Vi when she bounded into our gift shop. Vi was a nurse who was a long time art glass collector. She was energetic, enthusiastic and knowledgeable about collectible glass. She was an amazing saleswoman who could talk glass and entertain for hours. You couldn't help but be spell bound when she talked glass.  If you didn't collect her glass when you were in her presence, you soon did.

Vi designed the Jenny doll, a faceless long haired doll with a clean simple line, whose identity was left to the owners imagination. Vi made Jenny faceless so you could imagine her as you wanted: a country girl, an Amish girl, a nun, your daughter or granddaughter . Jenny was pressed by Mosser Glass after Vi forged a friendship with Tom Mosser.



Jenny was first introduced on March 18, 1979 as a showpiece for the Victim Assistance Antique and Collectible Show. This show helped battered women and she donated the proceeds after her manufacturing costs to this charity. She was active in a lot of civic causes. Vi named her glass creation Jenny after her daughter. There were only 100 of those issued and the color was Cornflower Blue. They are extremely rare and very valuable. At the same time, she introduced numbers 2 and 3 in the Jenny series for 1979 which were Crystal and Regal Blue.

          

Vi's theory was that if you were a collector, you could collect indefinitely. In her own words : “There was no feeling of a beginning or an end. What I encountered as a collector was that glass can change and that the slightest change or variation was given a name or designated as a variant needed to enhance the collection. These random releases and indefinite numbers left me in a quandary about how to budget m money among other interests. Design also left me wanting more than copies and reproductions of old designs, although I feel these have a place. I felt that glass; the clear crystals, beautiful slags an opaques could be enhanced by more contemporary designs than were employed before. “

Her marketing concept was unique. Again, in her own words, “By issuing one a month, you knew in advance there were 12 pieces marked by the year and designated by color number . You knew there wouldn't be 14 or 15 multiple variants needed for a set unless this was a personal choice. When variations occur in slags , which always happens, your own taste could dictate the choice that would best enhance your set.”

“In the beginning, as prices increased on back issues, I felt it necessary to protect the collector's investment and decided not to go back and repress the colors after issue. Issuing by the year allowed you to collect for any given year and go on to something else of interest. This marketing concept is one of the things we are most proud of. The idea has been copied widely since first introduced by us.”

The Jenny doll proved to be hugely popular with collectors immediately upon the first year issue in 1979.

The first Jenny dolls were marked with a star burst on the bottom and her signature H for Hunter glass on the back of her dress.  Starting in 1980, they had the mark H on the skirt, but the bottom of the glass figure had the signature H with the year of issue on the bottom. 


Markings on the bottom indicating Hunter Glass 1980 issue.

Here's the list of glass colors, the original release price and the color description  for Vi Hunter's Jenny Dolls for the year of 1979.

   1.Cornflower Blue, issued March 18, 1979, only 100 issued. Original price $7.00, it was a milk blue slag with a color range of milk blue slagged with dark streaks of red, brown and black. Wide range of slagging.
   2.Crystal. Issued March 18, 1979, Original price $6.00, crystal clear glass with a color range constant.
   3.Regal Blue Issued March 18, 1979,  Original price $6.00 Color cobalt a clear dark blue with a constant color range.
   4.New Moon Custard Slag Original Price $7.00. Color is a cream, with red brown slag. Color ranges from very light cream color with dark streaks to light heavy reddish brown showing only a little bit of custard. Wide color variation.
   5.Mystery Red. Original price $8.00 A very clear dark garnet red, with color constant.
   6.Cameo Custard Original Price $7.00. Color is a light cream with a constant color range.
   7.Morning Glory Slag. Original Price $7.00, Color is a cobalt blue with white milk slag. Color ranges from an almost clear dark blue with light streaks of white to almost milk whit with slight blue steaks or a cast of blue. Collectors call this White Morning Glory or Blue Morning Glory depending on the slagging.
   8.Aztec Flame Slag, Original Price $7.00. Color is a clear dark red with yellow to orangish slag. The color range is light to moderate slag.
   9.Irish Mist Original Price $6.00 Color is a clear light willow green with a constant color range.
  10.Snowflake Original Price $7.00 Color is milk white with a constant color range.
  11.Topaz Original Price $6.00. Color is a clear greenish yellow with a constant color range.
  12. Kashmir Green Original price $7.00,. Color is a kelly green crystal with white milk slag. The color ranges from clear green with limited streaks to heavy slagging.

The Jenny Bell was introduced by Vi Hunter in 1979 as an annual release.
The first bell was issued December 16, 1979  with an original price of $15.00. The color is iridescent cobalt blue Carnival with a constant color range.
Her 1980 Bell was Irridized white Pearl. It was white milk irridized and color is constant.
The 1981 Jenny bell was Samurai Red slag was bright red with a white slag. There was a large difference in color due to the slag.
The 1982 Jenny bell Vi originally named Surprise Slag but was later changed to Mistletoe Green. It is a holly green with white slag. There are a lot of color variation the deep greens with white streaks to whiter
Desert Agate was the 1983 Jenny bell It is a deep gold with white slag and a lot of color variations. To the best of my knowledge, the last in the bell series. I've read there were 10 bells produced, but I haven't been able to find out any other colors or years they were produced. I've researched and if anyone knows of other years and colors, please let me know.

Vi raised the price for most of the monthly Jenny dolls issue to $10.50 to $12.00 based on the color of the glass when they were issued in the following years.  The first year Jenny dolls were immediately collectible and the prices escalated.

Josh joins Jenny in 1982.

Josh and Jenny became known as "The Kids".

Vi Hunter designed Josh as a companion to Jenny in 1982.  Josh is a young lad who is also faceless.  Josh wears a jaunty peaked cap, bib overalls and his pants overflow his shoes. He has his hands in his pockets. Josh was produced in 1982 and 1983, there are 12 dolls in each set. Josh is marked on his pant leg with an H.   The colors match the Jenny dolls for each year.

But as Vi explains in her own words, “Each was designed as a series and each were intended to be an individual series. I realize that some collectors wish to pair them up. Which brings us to the dilemma of slags, frosts and other unusual formula. Many factors affect the outcome. I was naive enough to think that two pieces of glass, about the same height and within 16 grams weight of each other and both with simplistic lines, would slag in about the same ratio of light to dark. Not so! Josh slags differently than Jenny. This has been consistent in the 20 months since we have been using the Josh mold. He reacts different when the fire polisher is used to develop some colors such a a frost formula. Slags can look entirely different if the glass is hollow or thin walled and both our pieces are solid. So, I am aware that it presents problems to you who wish to match up a pair. But the figurals, as well as the glass, seem to have minds of their own.”

The mini Jenny, a two and one eight inch tall glass doll, was introduced in crystal in 1983. She produced the minis in 1983 and 1984 and there are a total of 23 different colors.

In 1985, Vi introduced her Carousel Horses. They are all on display at the Degenhart Art Glass Museum in Cambridge, Ohio, as is her entire glass collection.

Series 1 of the carousel horses are all frosted colors, a frost over a clear glass.
1. Gold frost
2. Pink frost
3. Green frost
4. Blue frost
5. Crystal frost
6. Cranberry frost

Series 2 are all carnival colors.
1. Carnival White
2. Carnival Black
3. Carnival Bittersweet
4. Carnival Palomino
5. Carnival Lavender
6. Carnival Green

Its hard to find any information about Vi Hunter after 1985. She stopped coming into the shop on a regular basis just to chat. We all assumed it was because business was booming and she was too busy. But the glass stopped arriving,

Vi passed away in October of 2004.  I can’t find any information on her from 1985 to 2004. I’ve spent hours researching why she stopped producing glass and can’t find any information.  I heard she was ill, but that is hearsay.  I’ve even contacted Mosser Glass for information and they don’t have any information on her other than the colors of glass they made and dates.  If anyone has the information, please contact me so I can put that question to rest.  Its literally driven me crazy for years.
 
Vi left a legacy in her glass. She put her soul in her creations. She was a great person and I'm privileged to have known her. She taught me a lot about glass and I think about her every time I look at all my colorful glass artwork she created.

Vi's words came from her newsletter, The Glass Connection  Volume One, Issue One, 1982.