In early Amana many private wine cellars were a favorite socializing spot as they still are today. Often wine was shared in a special pressed glass with a horseshoe and star motif on the bottom. Sometimes there were letters or numbers pressed at the bottom of the horseshoe and the star was not always present.
The glasses were originally made for jam, cheese or peanut butter containers. When the product was used up, the glasses were reused for wine and juice. Some old glasses as these were actually found in old dumps of the early to mid 1900's. Now they are found at Amana auctions, estate sales and local antique shops if used in Amana.
The majority of these glasses were probably made from c. 1900-1930.
Glass manufacturers of these horseshoe marked glasses were located in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. Most well known of the makers were Ball Brothers of Muncie, Indiana; Fostoria of Fostoria, Ohio; and Hazel-Atlas of Wheeling, PA.