Specialties
Welcome to L. H. Selman Ltd., a name that has been synonymous with the finest antique and contemporary paperweights for over 40 years. As the country's premier dealer in fine art glass paperweights our mission is to promote the very best by exhibiting and selling through our gallery and at auction the finest examples made in centuries past, and by nurturing new talent emerging from contemporary independent studios.
History
Established in 1969.
In the mid-1960s Lawrence Selman, with a PhD in organic chemistry from Yale, and mastery of the viola da gamba, was introduced to paperweights through a fellow musician who collected them. Selman bought some pieces as gifts for his friends, and slowly became involved in trading paperweights. It wasn't long before the small works of art became more than a passing fancy for him, as he found himself traveling across the country to purchase and sell them. Eventually, Selman left behind his career as a professor of chemistry, and started L. H. Selman Ltd. as a small mail order business.
Recognizing a void in information available to the paperweight-collecting community, Selman decided to create a publishing company through which he could distribute his own knowledge of paperweights for the benefit of collectors, new and established.
In 2009 Lawrence Selman and his wife, Marti, sold their business to Mitch and Ben Clark.
Meet the Business Owner: Ben C.
Ben Clark, owner and president, along with his brother Mitch, purchased L.H. Selman Ltd. during 2009. The brothers grew up in a paperweight collecting family and bring a unique combination of business and art experience combined with great enthusiasm and energy for paperweights. In 2016 Ben Clark became the sole owner of the business. Ben has traveled extensively, lived in California, Illinois, Greece and Spain. He graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in history and from the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. He brings a love of the outdoors, a keen interest in people, a passion for technology and delights in working with paperweight artists and collectors. He and is wife Casey live in downtown Chicago and are enjoying raising a rescued dog named D.J. who can be found most days at the gallery. Ben is committed to building L.H. Selman over the coming years by carrying on the traditions and the reputation for excellence built by Larry and Marti Selman.