Block Crystal Stockholm Cobalt Blue and Clear Votive Candle Holder with Controlled Bubble Base
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Not a Scandinavian bowl: Block's Stockholm votive from Poland
This cobalt blue and clear glass piece is the Stockholm votive candle holder from Block Crystal: a flared cobalt blue bowl set on a thick, heavy clear base with one large air bubble hanging in the middle. Labeled copies carry a round gold sticker reading "Block Crystal, Lead Free, Poland" ringed by "Mouth Blown, Hand Polished, Hand Cut," and some have "Block" etched near the edge of the bottom. A store sticker on one copy reads "Stockholm Ball Candle Holder L15471." This copy has lost its label, and no etched name shows in the photos, so it's identified by an exact match of shape, colors, bubble and size with labeled copies.
Block was an American tableware importer, the Block China Company, which filed trademarks in the 1960s for dinnerware and cookware and later sold glass under the Block Crystal name. According to a trade obituary of Iggy Nowak, the salesman who represented Poland's state glass factories in the United States, Block had bought only from Western Europe until Nowak brought it to Polish factories. One dealer credits Block barware to Krosno, Poland, but no Block or factory record was found naming the works that blew the Stockholm line.
Stockholm was a full line of cobalt-and-clear pieces, not a one-off: sellers list matching decanters, tumblers, a pitcher, an ice bucket, vases and a larger ball-shaped votive and vase, all with a cobalt top over a clear base and the same kind of bubble. No catalog with a date turned up. Sellers date the line from the 1980s to the 2000s, and the store sticker carries a UPC barcode, a system in use only from 1974 on.
The bubble is an old trick. The glassblower pushes a dent into the hot clear glass and covers it with another gather, trapping the air. The Corning Museum of Glass calls this an air trap. Frederick Carder at Steuben worked controlled bubbles into patterns, and Blenko made "controlled bubble" glass a feature of 1940s and 1950s American glass. The Stockholm name suggests Sweden, but labeled copies say Poland. The old description of this piece as an unsigned Scandinavian bowl was wrong.
Block Stockholm or a lookalike?
From this copy and listing photos of labeled Block pieces, checked October 29, 2026. Cobalt-and-clear bubble votives were made by several firms, so check the shape and the bottom.
| Version | Marks | Tells | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block Stockholm votive This piece | Gold round Block Crystal, Lead Free, Poland sticker; "Block" etched near the bottom edge on some copies | Wide flared cobalt bowl with a flat rim, straight clear base, one disc-shaped bubble with a thin tail, thin cobalt layer at the very bottom | About 3⅛–3⅜ in. tall, 4 in. rim |
| Block Stockholm ball votive or vase Same line | Same label | Round cobalt ball on a short clear stem with a bubble | Taller, about 6 in. for the vase |
| Tall Stockholm-style votive Related shape | Sold as Block, lead crystal, Poland | Barrel-shaped cup that's clear above a cobalt tint, bubble in a clear foot | About 4 in. |
| Other Polish and Scandinavian votives Lookalikes | Their own labels (LSA, Krosno and Kosta Boda cobalt votives were all listed the same day) | Compare the profile: only the Block votive has the wide cobalt bowl stepping out over a straight clear base | Varies |
- The shape is the giveaway. Block's votive has a broad cobalt bowl that steps out over a narrower clear base, like a top hat turned over.
- The bubble. One flat, rounded bubble sits in the clear base with a thin thread running down toward the bottom.
- The bottom. The base is cobalt with a clear round center where the clear core shows through. Check near the edge for an etched "Block."
- The label says lead free. Labels seen on this votive read "Lead Free," even though sellers often call Block pieces lead crystal.
A cobalt bowl over a clear block with a hanging bubble
The Block Stockholm votive is a heavy mouth-blown glass piece in two colors: deep cobalt blue (true royal cobalt, almost navy where it's thick) on top and water-clear glass below. The top is a wide, shallow bowl with a flat, polished rim that flares out past the base. Below it, the clear base is straight-sided and thick-walled, and the cobalt color dips down into its center as a deep, rounded well.
Inside the clear base hangs a single air bubble shaped like a wide, flat disc that narrows into a thin thread pointing down toward the bottom. Looking down into the bowl, the bubble glows pale through the blue. The bottom is cobalt with a clear round spot at the center and a flat ground rim.
- Top: wide cobalt bowl with a flat polished rim.
- Side: cobalt bowl stepping out over a straight clear base, with a thin cobalt band at the foot.
- Base: thick clear glass holding one disc-and-tail bubble, with a few tiny seed bubbles.
- Inside: the bowl floor shows a swirl from the blowing.
- Bottom: cobalt with a clear round center; no label and no readable etched name on this copy.
- This copy: fine scratches and wear on the bottom rim and bowl floor, a small R-shaped mark on the bottom that can't be read as a signature, label missing. No chips show in the photos.
Gold sticker (labeled copies): MOUTH BLOWN • HAND POLISHED • HAND CUT • BLOCK / CRYSTAL / LEAD FREE / POLAND Store sticker (one copy): STOCKHOLM BALL CANDLE / HOLDER L15471 7 28216 32485 6 Etched on the bottom (some copies): BlockThis copy has no label. The text comes from listing photos of labeled copies.
- Block Stockholm votive candle holder
- Block Crystal cobalt bubble votive
- Cobalt blue clear controlled bubble candle holder
- Block Poland cobalt glass votive
- Stockholm ball candle holder
- Cobalt and clear art glass bubble base bowl
Copies for sale right now
A pick from about 15 live eBay listings of the Block Stockholm votive, checked October 29, 2026. Asking prices, not sales; one copy sold in January 2026 for $18.16, and other sold prices need a sign-in. Single votives asked about $10 to $30 before shipping, most $15 to $20.
Block Stockholm Votive Candle Holder Cobalt Blue Crystal Glass Bubble PRISTINE
Used, seller says pristineView on eBay ↗
Block Stockholm Votive Candle Holder Cobalt Blue Hand Blown Trapped Bubble
UsedView on eBay ↗
Block Crystal Stockholm Cobalt Blue Votive Candle Holder Bubble Poland READ Flaw
Label and store sticker; seller notes a flawView on eBay ↗
Block Stockholm Votive Candle Holder Cobalt Blue Hand Blown Trapped Bubble
UsedView on eBay ↗
Block Stockholm Votive Candle Holder Cobalt Blue Crystal Art Glass Bubble Base
UsedView on eBay ↗
Block Stockholm Votive Candle Holder Cobalt Blue Crystal Glass Bubble 3 1/8"
UsedView on eBay ↗
Block Stockholm Votive Candle Holder Cobalt Blue Crystal Glass Bubble 3-3/8"
UsedView on eBay ↗
Block STOCKHOLM Crystal Cobalt Blue Candle Holder Air Bubble in Stem 3.25"
UsedView on eBay ↗
Block Crystal Stockholm Cobalt Blue Clear Controlled Bubble Votive Candle Holder
UsedView on eBay ↗About the Cobalt and Clear Art Glass Bowl, Controlled Bubble
Who made this cobalt and clear bubble glass?
It matches the Stockholm votive candle holder sold by Block Crystal and made in Poland. Labeled copies carry a gold "Block Crystal, Lead Free, Poland, Mouth Blown" sticker, and some have "Block" etched on the bottom. This copy has lost its label and no etched mark shows, so the match rests on its identical form, colors and bubble.
Is it a bowl or a candle holder?
A votive candle holder. Block sold it as part of the Stockholm line, and one store sticker reads "Stockholm Ball Candle Holder." It works as a small dish too.
Is it Scandinavian?
No. The Stockholm name and the style point to Swedish modern glass, but labeled copies say Poland.
How is the bubble made?
The glassblower pokes a dent into the hot clear glass and covers it with more glass, trapping the air as a bubble. Glass museums call it an air trap; collectors say controlled bubble.
How old is it?
No dated catalog was found. Sellers date Block's Stockholm pieces from the 1980s to the 2000s, and the store sticker on one copy carries a UPC barcode, a system in use only from 1974 on.
How big is it?
Sellers measure the votive at about 3⅛ to 3⅜ inches tall with a rim about 4 inches across.
What is a Block Stockholm votive worth?
On October 29, 2026, about 15 live eBay listings of the votive asked $10 to $30 before shipping, most $15 to $20. One sold in January 2026 for $18.16. These are mostly asking prices.
- Owner's photos of this piece, including the bubble and the bottom
- eBay: labeled Block Stockholm votive, for the gold Block Crystal, Lead Free, Poland sticker, the etched "Block," the Stockholm Ball Candle Holder store sticker and the size
- eBay: ended listing, January 2026, for a matching votive at 3.25 in. tall with a 4 in. rim, sold for $18.16
- Etsy search for Block Stockholm, for the matching decanters, tumblers, pitcher and vases in the line
- HFN: Glass pioneer Iggy Nowak passes away, for Block's move from Western European suppliers to Polish glass factories
- Justia Trademarks: Block China Company, for the company's 1960s trademark filings
- 1stdibs: Block Crystal barware, a dealer's attribution of Block barware to Krosno, Poland
- Corning Museum of Glass: air trap, for the term and what it means
- Blenko: bubble optic, for how controlled bubbles are made and their place in 1940s–50s American glass
- Steuben Glass (Carder Steuben Club): Paper Weights, for Frederick Carder's controlled bubble patterns
- Wikipedia: Universal Product Code, for UPC barcodes coming into use in 1974
- eBay search for "block stockholm cobalt votive", giving about 15 live votive listings, seller sizes and asking prices on October 29, 2026