Kemple & Westmoreland Molds

GLASS
ANIMAL
COVERED
DISHES*
KEMPLE &
WESTMORELAND
MOLDS
IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
*CHICKENS NOT INCLUDED
JENNIFER PATTON

ABOUT ME
Hi! My name is Jen and this is a little bit about myself. First, I must say this project was a lot of fun.
Like a book from my gradeschool years lol. I don’t know if children today still do book reports, but when
I was in school, they were required and boy did I dread reading the assigned books then having to
summarize them! I loved reading books that interested me and hopefully this will interest you. I created
it for anyone that needs help with identification. For the novice glass collectors that buy animal covered
dishes because they fall in love with the way they look or the type of animals they are, or simply for
their colors. For the avid collectors who enjoy buying a few of each animal regardless of the maker. For
the veteran collectors who may have hundreds of glass dishes who never cease to amaze me with their
beautiful collections. For the people that have inherited or purchased someone’s entire collection or
part of a collection and need help to identify things. For the people like me that are meticulous about
every detail needing to label things and just absolutely need to know the whats, whens, whos, hows and
whys of the animal dishes they own. For me, what started with one Asian yellow stained glass bunny on
a nest, has flourished into a full blown collection of hundreds of mixed and matched animal covered
“candy” dishes of all glass types and colors. No particular glass maker, just everything I can’t live
without. LOL. Anyone that knows me would tell you that I stop at nothing, studying book after book
searching for answers about my own glass animals until I find them. I have never been satisfied with a
mystery….unless it involves me watching Columbo, my lifelong favorite television program! I am a
mystery solver... a true detective. I get this from my Mother, Cindy -Sultana- Wheatley. I need to get to
the bottom of a piece of unidentified glass. It drives me bananas not to know everything I can about
each piece that I own. Next, I will tell you that the monetary value of my glassware means nothing to
me. I collect it because I love it. However, unique and rare is always a find! Sure, like every collector, I
love a bargain and have had to pass up many pieces that I could not afford. Ooooh the ones that got
away. They haunt me. I can assure you that when I get a new addition to my collection, it has found its
forever home. Someone before me and usually possibly before them owned these animal covered
dishes making a kind of history that I can only imagine in my mind, its importance to each person. There
is a reason behind every single glassware in every single dwelling. Glass symbolizes many things. It is
proudly displayed. It is important to the person who owns it. I enjoy seeing the happiness glassware
brings to people, especially these animal covered dishes. Who doesn’t love animals? I also enjoy seeing
my collection knowing these pieces of history live on and hope that when I am long gone, they will be in
other homes. My glass brings me peace; most peaceful in the evenings when the cabinet lights are on
and the glass does its natural thing; what it was intended to do since the day it was made...look pretty!
To me, it is reminiscent of having a year round Christmas Tree. Glass is AMAZING! I am a country girl
through and through. I love all things nature. I am an avid bird watcher and an all around animal lover. I
live in the beautiful state of Kentucky with my husband and our two dogs, Monkey and Johnnie, who by
the way, is named after my all time favorite singer, Johnny Cash.

Glass Animal Covered Dishes © Jennifer Patton
glass animal covered dishes
by Jennifer Patton:
kemple & westmoreland molds
copyright © 2022 by Jennifer Patton
All rights reserved. No parts of this work may be reproduced without
written permission from the copyright holder.
No parts of this work may be reproduced for financial gain by anyone
other than the copyright holder.

© Glass Animal Covered Dishes by Jennifer Patton
Page 1
look-a-likes: kemple and westmoreland acd
My theory:
I know speculation is not permitted in glass books, but I was very puzzled with the
following extraordinary discovery. Please know there is no proof of what I am
sharing. John and Geraldine Kemple claimed to have purchased many McKee Glass
items, hundreds in fact, and some people have even considered their 5.5-inch animal
covered dishes to be copies of original McKee animal covered dishes. This is simply
not true. Yes, the Lamb and Dove on Nest are from original McKee molds, but any
experienced ACD collector can recognize the remaining 99% of Kemple ACD in both
5.5 and 7 inches are identical to Westmoreland Glass Company ACD! In Burkholder's
Kemple Glass book, there is a list of molds and origins. Many glassware molds were
purchased by a company named Mannington Glass Company. I looked into this
company. I could not find much until I looked into the history of Mannington, West
Virginia. This was a glass company that was in business between 1903-1909. Like so
many other glassworks, it burned down. In 1919 it reopened as Homewood Glass
Company. Not much reading literature was available online. What I find curious is
that perhaps there was a typographical error when the researcher wrote down the
origins of the Kemple animal covered dishes as McKee. It is my belief that
Mannington Glass Company sold the animal covered dish molds to the Kemples and
they did not acquire Mckee Glass Company molds. Here is my theory...Hang on to
your hats: Because so many Kemple 5.5" ACD lids and 7" lids and bases are identical
to Westmoreland ACD and because many of the Westmoreland ACD suddenly
appeared the same time as Kemple in the 1950's...What if they got their molds from
the same place? And what if that place was Mannington Glass Company? I mean, it is
IMPOSSIBLE for a Kemple ACD to look like a Westmoreland ACD that wouldn't have
been defunct and up for sale until 1985. A minimum of 35 years into the future...15
years after the close of Kemple! Westmoreland's final auction was in 1985 and
Kemple closed in 1970. Most Westmoreland molds were replicas of originals but the
molds had been modified. So why is it so farfetched not to believe the Westmoreland
and Kemple animal covered dishes were purchased from the same glass factory????
Question is...WHICH FACTORY? Just the fact that Mannington Glass items were
purchased by John and Geraldine Kemple opens my mind into thinking Mannington
Glass was selling molds and that leads me to wonder if they sold to Kemple, then
who else did they sell to? As far as we know, Mannington Glass Company did not
produce any ACD, but perhaps they owned the molds???? And perhaps
Westmoreland also got the same ACD molds but changed the 5.5" bases.

© Glass Animal Covered Dishes by Jennifer Patton
Page 2
Look-a-likes kemple and westmoreland acd
My theory:
Regardless of where Westmoreland Glass and Kemple acquired their
molds, one cannot deny they are practically identical*. I am curious to
know who got their animal covered dishes to retail first. I think Kemple
and Westmoreland acquired the same exact molds at the same exact
time from the same exact defunct or destroyed glass company
(Mannington?). I was chatting with Roger Haworth and he told me about
Roger Going's study/data on Rabbit measurements (Roger G. measured
22 rabbits with calipers across the haunches) Roger H and I measured
our own Rabbits with calipers across the haunches and only two
companies had the exact same measurements... Kemple and
Westmoreland/Rosso. Every single company produced it's own
measurement. Except two. Unbelievable! There is was again, the link
between the same two companies. The absolute certainty of Kemple
and Westmoreland using the same Rabbit molds hit me the hardest
because we were measuring down to 1/1000th of an inch. Was there an
inside worker that secretly shared WSC/ WG designs with the Kemples?
How was this happening? Yes, I know that WG added grass to the tops of
their rabbits, but the measurements were exact. I also found it even
more curious that the only two molds from McKee to Kemple, the Lamb
on Nest and Dove on Nest are two that Westmoreland did not produce.
WG lamb is not the same, it faces the wrong way. Kemples' 5.5" ACD are
all 3/16" longer because of the split ribbed base. 7" ACD diamond
weaved bases were 7 3/8" from both companies. Hopefully someone can
research why some of these ACD were produced at the same time (Cat,
7" Rooster, 7" Hen) I just had no time. My little animal covered dish
books took up all my time. ---Jen--
*When I say these Animal Covered Dishes look alike, I am referring to the lids.
Kemple and Westmoreland each had different 5 inch bases and the diamond
weave bases by each company have different designs on the bottoms.

© Glass Animal Covered Dishes by Jennifer Patton
Page 3
Kemple / Westmoreland molds
Kemple 5.5" ACD (actual 5.5"):
No. 1 Hen on Nest (Split Rib Base) 1950-1970. Did Kemple get the WG mold before 1950?
No. 4 Rooster/Nest (Split Rib Base) 1950-1970 Did Kemple get the WG mold before 1950?
No. 25 Cat on Nest (Split Rib Base) 1950-1970 Did Kemple get the WG mold before 1950?
No. 26 Rabbit on Nest (Split Rib Base) 1950's-1970 Did Kemple get the WG mold in the 1950's?
No. 34 Duck on Nest (Split Rib Base) 1950's-1970 Did Kemple get the WG mold in the 1950's?
If Kemple did not get these molds before or during the 1950's from Westmoreland, then where
did they come from? Kemple never had any molds made. They only had molds altered. According
to the Kemples, they only bought molds from companies that were out of business. This led me
back to Mannington Glass Company and the theory that Kemple and Westmoreland acquired
the same molds. How else could they have produced the same ACD at the same times?
Kemple 7 1/4" ACD (actual 7 3/8"):
No. 15 Fox on Nest (Diamond Base, Ring on bottom) 1950's-1970--Molded Eyes-- Atterbury
origin. Did Westmoreland get the Kemple mold in 1970?
No. 24 Rooster on Nest (Diamond Base Ring on bottom) 1950-1970 --Bulbous Eyes-- Kemple
was first to copy Challinor Taylor, WG followed closely behind. Where did WG get the mold?
No. 31 Hen on Nest (Diamond Base, Ring on bottom) 1950-1970. Westmoreland made this hen
first. Did Kemple get the Westmoreland mold before 1950? They made hens at the same time.
No. 35 Lion on Nest (Diamond Base, Ring on bottom)1950's-1970--Molded Eyes-- Kemple was
first to copy Atterbury. Did Westmoreland get the Kemple mold in 1970?
Westmoreland 5" ACD (actual 5 3/8")
5" Hen Dish (Diamond Base) 1900-1920, 1930's/ 1963-1983 WG first to make the hen. Did
Kemple get this mold to produce between 1950-1970? Both companies were making it 1950-
1970
5" Rooster Dish (Wide Rib) 1900-1920 / 1950's-1983 WG first to make the rooster. Did Kemple
get this mold to produce between 1950-1970? Both companies were making it 1950-1970
Cat on Wide Ribbed Base 1950's, 1960's / 1971-1984 Both companies were making it 1950-
1970. Who made it first? Who got whose mold? What was the origin of this mold?
Rabbit on Wide Ribbed Base 1900-1924 / 1984 WG first to make this rabbit and took a 60 year
hiatus. Did Kemple get this WG mold to produce them between 1950-1970? Rabbit lids are
identical in size. We do not know the origin of this WG mold. It is NOT a copy of Greentown.
Pin Tail Duck 1915 / 1950's / 1980-1984 WG was first to produce the Pintail Duck but both
companies were making it in the 1950's. Did Kemple get this WG mold to produce between
1950-1970? We do not know the origin of this WG mold
Westmoreland 7" ACD (actual 7 3/8")
Fox on Nest (Diamond Base, with cross) 1972-1982 ---Glass Eyes-- Did they get Kemple's mold?
Kemple was first to reproduce Atterbury original
7" Rooster Dish (Diamond Base, with cross)--Glass Eyes-- 1955 / 1972-1984 Did they copy
Kemple? Both companies making it in 1950's. Kemple was first to copy Challinor Taylor.
7" Hen Dish (Diamond Base, with cross ) 1900-1920, 1924-1940, 1950's, 1960's / 1972-1983
Lion on Nest (Diamond Base, with cross) --Glass Eyes-- 1972-1980 Did they get Kemple's mold?
Kemple was first to reproduce Atterbury original
There is definitely a link between Kemple and Westmoreland. Seems they copied one another at
different times. Sometimes Kemple was first to copy Westmoreland and other times
Westmoreland was first to copy Kemple. Were they sharing molds? How was it possible that they
were making some of the same acds at the same times? This would make a great study!