Friday, September 29, 2017

Not All Vintage Glassware Collectibles Are The Same And How To Tell The Difference

By Angela Miller


Vintage glass is such a popular item to collect that no antique store would be complete without a number of collections made in different countries, in different styles, and at different times. Collecting glass is so popular in part because the items people purchase are usually small enough to display easily. Most of them are fairly expensive as well. If you like antiquing, searching shops for vintage glassware collectibles can be a fun and interesting way to pass the time.

Some people have eclectic collections, picking up random pieces that catch their eye. Others hunt for specific types of glass in an attempt to build complete service settings. Whatever your preference, you really need to understand the most common types of vintage pieces available. Cut glass is one of the oldest kinds. The Venetians began grinding it nearly two thousand years ago. Today artisans still create pieces using a grinding wheel to cut classic designs and patterns into cooled glass.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the wealthiest citizens made a conspicuous show by entertaining with enormous pieces of leaded pressed glass. This has become known as the American Brilliant Period. It ended when manufacturers began to produce cheap versions of this expensive glass and made it available to the masses during the Great Depression.

About the same time, European manufacturers came up with a method of producing even less expensive pressed glass and surpassed the Americans. When the Great Depression hit however, an Ohio firm began to mass produce its own version, which became aptly known as depression glass. It was so cheap to manufacture that the firm could offer it on the open market for pennies.

Many depression era Americans dreamed about owning the beautiful lamps Louis Comfort Tiffany was creating in New York. These art works might have been out of their reach, but smart manufacturers replicated his glass pieces with a cheap version offered to winners of carnival midway contests. Carnival glass was enormously popular, and the competition for market shares was intense. One result of this competition was glassware that glowed under UV light.

You don't have to be an expert in glass to recognize milk glass. It is something most people have seen in antique and vintage shops, but it was not originally an American product. The Venetians created the effect in the sixteen hundreds, and the English perfected it during the Victorian Era. Genuine milk glass can be yellow, pink, blue, black, and brown as well as white.

It is important to care for your glass collections correctly. This means not putting them in your dishwasher. The high temperature can crack and even break fragile pieces. You should only hand clean them using a mild detergent and soft drying cloth.

If you like to collect things, glassware is something that has an interesting history. Most pieces are affordable, and trying to find missing items to complete service settings can be a lot of fun. It is always a good feeling when you come upon the last piece you needed to complete a set.




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