Depression era glass—
know how to spot some? True glass collector aficionado would of course know all the tricks, cues, and tell-tale marks to identify one kind of glass from the other, however, when I roam the garage and flea-market circuit I am usually looking for something that appeals to me in sight and price first, and to see if I have some need for a piece that catches my eye. Then usually afterwards I try to determine if there is any value other than the reflex value I placed on that item. I am often amazed at how sophisticated glass hunting can become depending on whether you are a true collector of glass, or someone like me who spots something that looks interesting, figure the price is right and simply take a chance on a particular piece of glass I like.
I don’t consider myself a glass collector per-say but I do have some glass pieces I find interesting and if I find out they are actually worth something I may think about adding to my collection. I am finding that there are definitely two schools of thought when it comes to collecting glass; one is when collecting only to add to your very own private glass collection, like me! The other: collecting for re-sale a mode I see as risky right now (for me anyway) because if the item I pick doesn’t sell, and I’m forced begin dropping the price on the item so that it does sell but for perhaps less than I paid for it; to me that adds up to a loss.
If you do have the urge to re-sell collectible glass then the following tips are for you. The first thing I do is visually inspect a glass piece for any imperfections like nicks, and hairline cracks, things you might not notice at first glance. Checking for irregularities and imperfections with your finger is how one of the experts I listened to goes about inspecting a prospective addition to their collection. But “glass”, with “fingers” I don’t know BE CAREFUL. Something else to look for especially with depression era glass which I’ll talk about in a moment is something called etching from hard water marks or too many trips though the family dishwasher; water hazing and spotting rates right up there with nicks and scratches when it comes to devaluating a glass piece.
Doing a little homework first might prove useful because the two important factors in what a piece of collectible glass is worth are scarcity, how many of a given glass type are still out there in the antique stores, and condition, or how well the glass piece you are considering has been taken care of. Take Flint glass Flint glass, a form of glass that was produced around the early 1850s leading up to the Civil War in 1860.
Flint glass was relatively high on the refractivity index because of all the lead used to make Flint glass. A gently thump, with your finger, usually results in a resonant bell-like-tone in true Flint glass unlike the simple clink heard with the same gentle thump on non-Flint glass. Note to self: make sure you’re holding the glass piece when you give it a gentle thump. The tone can actually vary with the condition of the glass but overall it should sound generated by the glass should be more musical than mechanical.
After the Civil War started lead was needed more for weapons than for glass making so the lead content in the glass being produced at that time went way down. Another hot collectible since the 1960s is Depression-era –glass. This kind of collectible glass comes in a myriad of colors and patterns and has increased in value over the years because when demand is up the supply goes down thus scarcity is making depression era glass worth even more if you can find it.
Some of the unique things about Depression glass, made between 1929 to the end of World War II, are the way and the purpose for which this kind of glass was made. Prior to depression era glass the traditional glass making process of blown glass craft of glass making was used. During the depression companies like Anchor Hocking came up with a way to save on the cost of making glass and used the molded glass making process. Glass was poured into molds and mass produced for everyday use and for promotional purposes.
The “molded lines” on depression era glass being one of the ways to identify this brand of glass. The mold process allowed glass to be produced cheaper than with the glass blowing process; back in the 1920s and 1930s it was not uncommon for these mass produce glass pieces like a white ivory punchbowl set cup, with a gold trim, to be given away free with an oil change. I suppose with enough oil changes you could end up with the entire punchbowl set.
Cambridge Glass Company, in business since 1873, was another maker of depression era glass, in 1920 the Cambridge glass company added a “C” to its glass pieces, in most cases a triangle with a “C” inside is what you will see on Cambridge glass. Keep in mind, however, that Cambridge glass pieces before 1920 was not marked with a “C” and would also still be a valued find. There are plenty of other collectible Depression era glass out there, in stores, and online, never know where your next collectible glass piece might come from.
If you go out and mine the thrift stores and antiques shops, like me, for glass additions to your collection or inventory a nick, crack, or scrape might not mean a lot to you if those things tip the price in your direction. However, if you’re mining glass items for re-sale you might be dealing with slightly tougher collectors, so at the very least you should probably list any imperfections you do notice on a Depression era piece you plan to selling online and keep your eyes open for those well cared for pieces with little or no sign of wear, that way you can ask for top dollar at re-sale. B. Gray
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