One of the great American collectibles is Depression glass. Although it was made the decade before the Great Depression began in 1929, the use of this glass as give-aways to entice people into stores or as premiums for purchasing certain staples and soap have left this glass with its present name. In fact, glass of this type was made up until the 1970′s, and reproductions are also being made. This is one case where knowing what to look for is important so you do not pay antique prices for modern versions.
According to the definition, Depression glass was made by American glass companies; approximately 15 to 18 major houses and an additional number of minor glass firms. Wikipedia lists one hundred and twenty-four patterns, while a book I have has only 95 patterns. The patterns listed in both have considerable overlap, but there are patterns listed in one that are not included in the other, so the patterns, and makers, of this glass depends on your source of information.
Northwood #657 Candlesticks © by OnTask
Beautiful Color
At first, the Depression glass was strongly colored, but later the colors became more pastel, as colorants became expensive. The primary colors for Depression glass are red/pink, amber/yellow, green and blue, with a good deal of the glass in clear or “crystal.” Although the strong colors are very appealing, the lighter colored forms allow the impressive patterns to be more visible, so there is good reason to collect both the bright colored glass and the softer colored glass.
Besides the main colors listed above, Depression glass is also found in ultra-marine blue, cobalt blue and amethyst. Milk glass, green jadeite, and blue delphite are common in Depression glass. Finally, some Depression glass is made in black or ebony glass. Pieces may be found with an opalescent or iridescent finish added as well.
The colors of Depression glass were an antidote to the mostly clear pattern glass and cut lead crystal popular in the previous decades. The mechanization of the glass making process allowed one semi-skilled laborer to produce matching pieces of glass with ease, and the popularity of matching table settings increased from the pattern glass days to those of Depression glass. Lunch and dinner sets included many serving and individual place setting pieces, as well as matching drink-ware, vases and candlesticks.
Depression Glass Juicer © by James~Quinn
Deciding What to Collect
With the volume of glass involved, a collector must choose a company, pattern, color or type of glass to collect. Alternatively, a collector can select a specific pattern and piece, and see how many colors it can be found in. Some of the popular novelty pieces come in dozen colors or more. The “Bottoms Up” shot glass is available in many colors, and must have been made into modern times. It may even be produced today, as molds were sold from one company to another as some closed due to the economic pressures of imported glass. A collector soon learns to distinguish glass made by different companies.
Green tea time © by Marco Arment
Starting a Collection of Depression Glass
To begin, it is best to read up on Depression glass. Libraries usually have collector’s books, in which you can begin to get an idea what the glass looks like. The next step is to check your own cabinets and closets, as you likely already have Depression glass as family heirlooms. Check the cabinets and display pieces of friends and family to educate your eye on this type of glass.
Tea time © by Marco Arment
Then it is time to check out resale shops, garage sales and start hanging out at antique shops. Find out if there are glass shows in your area, or where specialty stores carrying older glass are located. Subscriptions to magazines or more books can help you identify where a family vacation can be taken to include glass possibilities, like West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Finally, take a look at the glass sold on the Internet, although you should be careful, as some glass is not correctly identified there. Depression glass is a popular collectible, and there is a lot of it available. Do some looking around before you decide what you want to collect. and happy hunting! See more Depression glass. Go to the Table of Contents to see all the topics covered so far. Click American collectibles to go to the latest entry on this site.