Green Depression Glass
It is a bit ironic that depression glass has become such a sought after and valuable collectible item when you think about it. It was after all, inspired by a time when economically, things could not have gotten much worse. All colors of authentic depression glass are collectible, but green depression glass has shown itself to be a favorite among glass collectors. It is also a personal favorite of mine. That does not mean that I don’t have any other colors or types of collectible glass. I just like the green a lot. What originally caught my attention about it was the fact that some of it will glow under a blacklight. I thought that was really neat. I started learning more about it and liking it more from there. The green glows, by the way, because uranium oxide was commonly added to the glass to give it the green coloration. That extra ingredient is what makes it glow in the dark. Here is a video showing how this “uranium glass” looks when exposed to UV light (blacklight).
Although our world is struggling with a difficult economic time right now, it still does not truly compare to the economic disaster commonly referred to as the Great Depression. Most people know that this was a very trying time that the United States suffered through during the late 1920s through the 1930s. It was a time when many people lost everything they owned and struggled on a daily basis just to survive and keep a roof over their heads. During those dark days, some inspired glass makers took it upon themselves to bring a little bit of color and fun into an otherwise miserable existence. It also helped to keep some of them afloat financially while other companies were forced to close their doors.
Depression glass was definitely not made to be known for its high quality. It was basically, cheap, but colorful glass. The production was less than spectacular. The molds marks are very bold to say the least. The relatively low quality of the glass can be seen easily when examining the vintage glass. It is not unusual to find air bubbles trapped within the colorful patterns. The pieces of glass so popular among collectors today were actually made to be inexpensive. Entire sets of depression glass, green or otherwise, were sold in complete sets for very low prices. Homemakers could build an entire collection of what we now call depression glass, by visiting one of those long gone relics, the dime store. Yes, for those too young to remember, there actually was a time when a dime could buy more than a single piece of chewing gum! I myself have a preference for green depression glass and I originally was setting up this site to explore and show off only green depression glass items. After some consideration though, I’ve decided to include some more general information for people getting into the hobby of collecting all types of this glassware.
Depression glass was made in a wide variety of colors that people could purchase to match their decor if they liked. It was a cheap and colorful way to brighten things up when frivolous spending was not really an option. Although green is one of the more popular colors for depression glass items, there are plenty of other wonderful colors to choose from if you decide to build a collection. Amber, cobalt blue, pink and clear are all very popular and quite collectible. Often the clear or crystal versions were highlighted by colorful trimming along the rim.
Collectors of depression glass can approach the hobby from different directions. While some folks, like me, enjoy collecting one particular color of glass, others fall in love with one pattern or another. There were a few big glass companies that made a lot of glass back in those tough years. Some of those companies are now associated by collectors with the depression glass patterns they produced. I will have more about these glass manufacturing companies and the patterns they produced on pages devoted specifically to the topic. In general though, some of the more well known companies to produce depression glass included Hocking Glass (merged to form Anchor Hocking in 1939), Federal Glass, Jeannette Glass, Monongah Glass (Mon), Imperial Glass, Hazel Atlas Glass, Economy Glass, McKee Glass, L.E. Glass, Paden Glass, MacBeth-Evans Glass, U.S. Glass, Fenton Glass, Indiana Glass, Westmoreland Glass and Barlette-Collins. This is not an exhaustive list, and as I mentioned, I will be writing more about each company as this site continues to grow. My point in mentioning these companies is to bring up the fact that different collectors have different preferences as to what and how they choose to collect depression glass (as well as other styles of vintage and antique glassware). Some collectors prefer to go by color, others by pattern, and still others by a specific company which produced the glass they love to find and display. Some people, just wait until they find a particular piece that catches their eye and add it to their collection. There really is no right or wrong way to collect if you are simply doing it for pleasure. There are those collectors of depression glass however who are more motivated by profit and future value however.
Green Depression Glass
For people concerned mostly with the investment value of depression glass, it is much more important to approach every purchase with a discerning and sometimes skeptical eye. There are people out there who have absolutely no qualms about passing off reproduction glass as original. Of course, some reproduction glass is very difficult to identify, so some sellers may not even realize that they are trying to re-sell something that is not from the depression era. Serious collectors must not only be concerned with the age of the depression glass, but also with its condition. Because the glass was so cheap at the time, it was generally pressed into use when it was purchased. It was a nice, inexpensive way to get glassware for your home. It was so “cheap” that it was actually given away as premiums with the purchase of other products or services. This old glassware was sold to be used, not to put into a china cabinet purely for display. The downside of this for collectors is that finding mint quality glassware can be difficult. Just look at your own day to day glasses and consider how they would look if they were used on a daily basis for years. Most likely, the condition would not be mint or even close to it.
When automatic dishwashers came along, they also did a lot to “age” the glassware that was put in to them. I can specifically remember when I was young that only one of my friend’s family’s actually had a dishwasher. I don’t know why I remember this so well, but I clearly remember that all of their drinking glasses looked cloudy. We ran around and played a lot at that house and we were constantly getting drinks. It seems odd, but I always wondered why their glasses looked like that. It turns out that dishwashers are not really a friend to glasses. I suppose thing have improved today, but many old pieces of glassware were permanently etched by those machines over the years. This glass is sometimes referred to as “sick glass”. People looking to build a valuable collection of depression glass should avoid these cloudy looking pieces. No matter how great of a deal you may find, the value of these damaged pieces will most likely never be what you hoped for. The etching is permanent. Wetting the glass may make it look better for a moment or two, but as soon as the glass dries, the cloudiness will reappear. I personally do not ever buy depression glass that looks like this. Make sure that you have seen any glass you are considering purchasing when it is completely dry. Wet glass can mask damage.
When you are considering the value of depression glass, remember that it was probably never a high quality piece of glass to begin with. Some imperfections are to be expected. It may have a flea bite or straw marks caused during production and still have value to collectors. Chips in the glass should not be overlooked. Before buying any glass, carefully run your finger along the edge of the glass to feel for small chips. Once again, you should do this very carefully so that you never manage to cut yourself. In the past, glass collectors either had to go out searching for the glass themselves or become regulars at collectibles shops. Today, sites like eBay have become the place to search for hard to find collectibles. In fact, eBay has actually skewed pricing for collectibles quite a bit. It used to be that you could simply go out and pick up a good pricing guide and have a pretty good idea of what was what. Today, although a pricing guide is still a very valuable tool, it is easier to get a feel for the “real world” value of a piece of collectible glass by checking out how similar items are selling on eBay. There are a few tricks to getting good deals on eBay that will be discussed on this site, but for now, just know that checking out the site is a wise investment of time whether you intend to buy, sell, or just get a feel for the market.
As I’ve mentioned, I enjoy looking for green depression glass and I have never had a problem finding something that interests me on the site. The same is also true about any color or style of glass. For those newer to collecting or looking for new ways to find collectible depression glass, I’ll offer a few examples of interesting items I’ve recently seen. I have kept track of these in a notebook (I know, that’s a little bit much) just as a way to track some trends. Because my particular area of interest is green glass, that is what these numbers will focus upon. These numbers come from the actual “completed” listings I found on eBay. That is, they are from auctions or buy it now sales that have already ended. I will only discuss glassware that actually sold. Knowing what does not sell is also very important, but not so much for my purposes here.
Green Depression Glass
The first search I ran was for the general term “Green Depression Glass” without any specifics as far as what the item actually was, who made it, or anything else. The item that sold for the highest price was a pair of green glass candlesticks. They are actually a pre-depression item manufactured between 1923 and 1926. The condition was described as “pristine” without even a rubmark present on their bottoms. These sold for $362 and garnered a whopping 47 bids. Their starting price? Just $6.99. I’m sure the seller was thrilled! On the low end of the selling scale, there were also some candle holders as well as candy dishes and ashtrays that all sold for just 99 cents!
Green Depression Glass Bowl
This search brought back over 600 items that had recently ended. Again, there were some mixed bowls and such at the bottom for less than three dollars. These were individual pieces that someone may have needed as a replacement for a broken item. The top in this category was a Hocking glass set of green cereal bowls. These four bowls sold together for a price of just under $150. What I thought was interesting about this auction was that it specifically mentioned that there was a dark green line running through the bottom of one of the bowls. Because it was part of the manufacturing process though, it was not necessarily seen as a negative and the lovely bowls sold after 25 bids.
Green Depression Glass Pitcher
The low end here was a seven inch tall green glass pitcher. After checking it out, I would say that it could have done better with more of a description. The complete description was “Green depression glass pitcher, 7 inches tall, no chips or cracks.” That’s it. No maker mentioned at all and just one photograph. The seller was relatively new (low number of sales), but I would never bid on an item with such a minimal description unless I contacted the seller and received more information. That is a good thing to keep in mind if you are considering purchasing on eBay for the first time. Any quality seller will be more than willing to answer questions, provide more photos, etc. when you ask. If they are not cooperative, move on to the next item that interests you. The high end on this search was a beautiful green glass pitcher produced by U.S. Glass company. It was being sold to help clear out a home where the elderly owner was moving in with her grown children. Because she was the original collector, a very well put together and detailed description of the pitcher and matching tumblers bearing the “strawberry” pattern was included. The tumblers have fairly good value on their own, so this auction ended up finishing at $255. The seller was obviously more experienced and knew what she was doing. Providing details for interested collectors is very important.
Green Depression Glass Plate
I have to admit that the selling prices of the depression glass plates surprised me a bit. The low end had numbers similar to those above, but the high end only topped out at $101 for a set of five dishes. This was a very nice set of Hocking Glass Princess pattern plates. A wise move by the seller was telling potential bidders an exact page of a collector’s guide where they could find additional information and suggested prices. I was surprised by this search because I have seen more expensive plates being sold in the past. This just goes to show that you never know what will turn up on eBay. Sometimes a very nice deal will fall right into your lap.
Green Depression Glass Vase
These green vases were less abundant than expected on the day I performed my search. Even so, there were still 188 of them. That is much more than you would find in most collectibles shops. I have found that the prices on these vary widely. The top end broke the one hundred dollar mark, but there were several very nice vases that sold for between $30 and $40 dollars each. Not too bad at all.
Many more green depression glass items exist in addition to the ones I just listed. This is just a starting list of common examples that people are often searching for when they visit eBay. I hope that you will enjoy your visit here and come back often. There is a lot to learn about any area of collecting. I hope that as I share my knowledge and joy of collecting, it will help you to find something you are looking for or maybe just learn something new.