August Hofbauer was born in Austria on February 18^th 1882.  He passed away at the age of 86 in 1986.  Due to his age and his skills he had become know as "Pop" to many of the glass blowing community.  He was considered as one of the best glass gaffers not only because of his skill in blowing but because he was a master of glass formulas as well.  It has been said he could do every thing in glass from building a furnace to the finished product.

At the age of eleven he began he career as a carry-in boy.  While working at Vsetin Glassworks he worked his way up to a master glassblower by the age of thirty-one.  I have been told it was during this time he became a master and learned much about the formulas used to make glass and learned the German method of glass finishing.  This method also known as fire polishing is what gives his glass a beautiful glossy finish.  This method was brought to America by many of the immigrant glass works and used and many major glass factories during the 1900's.  In 1913, at the age of 31, he came to America and worked at different glassworks from Ohio to W. Virginia.  In 1921 he moved to Vineland New Jersey where he finally settled down to live.  At this time he went to work for Victor Durand at the Vineland Flint Glassworks blowing scientific glassware till Durand died in a car crash in 1931.  Shortly after Durand passed Vineland Flint merged with Kimble Glass and many of the workers found them selves out of work.  Hofbauer decided to open up his own company called Vineland Glassworks even though the country was in a depression.  He made laboratory glass and also decided to make his own art glass.  His art glass was sold all over America, which considering the time, is amazing!  His success was due to his ability to blow glass as well as his skill at making formulas for the making of the glass.  Most glass gaffers did not have the skill to manufacture or the formulas needed to make their own glass they needed.  Most of the glass I have seen of his has a great shine and the colors are beautiful.  Many department store and gift shops including Gimbels sold his art glass.  Many of his pieces have fluted or crimpt edges which he seemed to prefer.  Much of his glass though has been mistakenly identified as being made by someone else such as Boston & Sandwich or Bischoff Glassworks just to name a few.  Among the pieces he made were large pitchers, vases, bowls, candy dishes and paperweights.  It has been said many of the paperweights were not of good quality however I have a weight that is excellent.  I have been told that during the 1940's he had a problem paying for the oil he used to operate the furnaces at Vineland Flint.  At his time, 1944, he opened and operated Beacon Glass Company.  It was advertised as "Hand blown glassware in exciting jewel tones" "combining the decorative and the functional through fine craftsmanship and distinctive design".  It is my understanding that he was in partners with the oil company, which supplied oil to fire his furnaces,  and sales of this glassware were used to pay his dept to the oil company.  Beacon Glass Company is believed to shut down in 1949.  Vineland Glass Works closed in 1958 as near as anyone has been able to tell. He retired when this plant closed at the age of 62.

He came out of retirement when he received an offer to build a glassworks and teach from the country of Colombia.  When returning from Colombia he work for a short time at Kessler Glass Works located in Long Island.  He eventually came back to New Jersey to settle in his Vineland home.

He once again came out of retirement in 1966 at the age of 84 to work at Jersey Bog Glass Works.  This company was owned by Tom Messina and was located in Elwood New Jersey.  While there he made many molds out of cherry wood which he preferred over the metal molds.  It has been said that the metal (glass) there was not very easy to work with yet I have seen and own some beautiful pieces blown by him that have been attributed to this glass works.

In 1968 "Pop" went for a walk from his house and did not return.  He passed away at the age of 86.