MILLERSBURG, Ohio -- Collectors across the country seek Millersburg Glass that sold in dime stores a hundred years ago, willing to pay high prices for rare pieces of the carnival glass.

During the annual Millersburg Antique Festival, Jim Wroda Auction Services will host its second public auction on the courthouse lawn exclusively featuring the glass manufactured down the road 100 years ago.

Millersburg Glass manufactured carnival glass between 1909 and 1912, until the company declared bankruptcy due to lawsuits for unpaid bills. Carnival glass is categorized by its iridescent sheen that accompanies bright colors such as marigold, green, amethyst, gold and blue, which is rarest. One color called "vaseline" contains up to 2 percent uranium and glows under black lights.

The Millersburg Antique Festival and the glass auction are not officially linked, but each event supports the other.

Auctioneer Jim Wroda said Holmes County Antique Festival coordinator Georgie Cool asked him to organize another auction because the last one in 2007 did so well that even collectors had suggested another.

"When Georgie asked us to do it again, we jumped all over that," Wroda said.

Because the glass is so rare, collector and Realtor Steven Maag said, it takes time to gather enough to auction a significant amount of glassware. This year, Wroda said the auction will have at about 250 items, coming as far away as California.

Maag has been collecting and cataloging the glass for more than 20 years. He started while he owned an antique shop.

He said that carnival glass appealed to middle-class families that wanted to add color to their homes, but couldn't afford Tiffany glass that was popular at the time.

Wroda and Maag have been pooling their resources to obtain the glass. Although people from all over collect Millersburg glass, Maag said there are some local collections valued at up to $250,000. According to Wroda said some collectors are so confident about their pieces that they are placing them on the auction block without reserve.

"We have some pieces that may reach up to $20,000 without reserve. That's saying a lot about your area," he said.

According to Maag, the glass has appreciated dramatically over the years.

"This was something people only paid a couple bucks for...a lot of it for as cheap as 20 cents," Maag said. "But you just never know what people are will to pay for things."

The auction this year will allow avid collectors to bid on the rare "People's Vase," which is one of eight or 10 known remaining. One sold in 2006 for $100,000. Maag said he doubts this particular vase will fetch as much due to manufacturing problems, but it could reach $20,000. The vase depicts Dutch people dancing and is said to commemorate an anniversary in Holland.

"Really, it's the icon of Millersburg glass," Maag said.

Weighing over five pounds and standing between 10 and 12 inches tall, the vase also holds the highest concentration of Millersburg glass.

"No one in Holmes County owns a peoples vase ... Hopefully someone in Holmes can buy it," Wroda said.

Despite the imperfections of the vase, Wroda thinks it will still do well at auction because it was voted the prettiest of those known of its kind.

Several other unique items will be selling at the auction, including six or seven blue pieces, and a hanging cherries milk pitcher that is the only known of its kind.

Maag said some of the materials may sell for $25-50 on the low end, but most will fall into the $200-500 range. He and Wroda expect 150-200 attendees from all over the country.