Inner Rim Roughness - Bane of Rimmed Depression Glass

You'll probably find listings online for depression glass with IRR, inner rim roughness. While only you can decide how important this is to you, many of the patterns with squared off rims are plagued with this.

The bowl shown here is the cereal in pink Adam depression glass by Jeannette. Adam is one pattern that is very difficult to find mint, with no damage whatsoever. You can see that the rim is square with the vertical sides of the bowl, making a fairly sharp corner. When pieces with these sharp corners are stacked, they get tiny nicks. Often the nicks are not visible and you will find them only by zealous checking. But it's more common in my experience to have nicks that don't show up easily to the eye but are easily felt.

This bowl is a case in point as the seller assured me it and the other three with it were free of any nicks. Unfortunately all four bowls have IRR, ranging from minuscule to quite evident. Needless to say the value is far less, anywhere from 25 to 75% of what a mint bowl would be.

I recommend that you always ask sellers to recheck pieces. While this is no panacea, it is one more chance for them to find problems. Personally I check when buying, when washing, when listing and when wrapping and it is simply amazing how easy it is to discover a problem only when wrapping! It is disappointing and embarassing to find a problem only after the sale!

Romantic Pink Depression Glass - Princess by Hocking

Pretty as a princess! This is Princess pink depression glass by Hocking. Princess is one of the mold etched patterns that was mass produced during the 1930s. It has a good design that combines scrolls and swags that are in the vertical panels you see on the bowl of this sherbet.

Hocking's pink glass is a true pink, very pretty and just what you think of for Valentine's Day. We offer pink Hocking Princess and Mayfair as well as a few other patterns.

Come take a look and enjoy shopping for quality depression glass!

Romance of Vintage Stemware - Fostoria Orient

Pretty goblet dates from 1922 to 1928, over 80 years ago. Don't you wish for such a long period of looking good? This is the Orient etch by Fostoria. Etch has swags and scrolls and a delicate lacy like netting design near the top. Some of the swags look like victory wreaths.

Don't confuse this with Fostoria's Oriental etch. Oriental has birds and is very different.

I bought this last summer, took a chance that we would eventually be able to identify it. The goblet is obviously quality glass and the etch is well done and distinctive. However, I looked through every glass book and did not see this design. (Yes, I looked in my Fostoria books too.) When this happens it means that either I looked right at it and missed the connection, or it is fairly obscure, or by a company that doesn't have a good reference book.

Last week our daughter sent me a link to an auction for the same etch and some wonderful helpful eBayer notified the auction seller this was Orient. Problem solved! Thank you, kind eBayer!

This week we are listing this single goblet on our eBay auctions and it is also listed in our TIAS store.

Romance of Vintage Stemware - Cambridge Caprice

Vintage stemware adds a touch of class and romance to your home. Imagine a gift of delicate etched goblets from the depression, given with the best wishes for a marriage or life as long and gracious.

This stem is Cambridge Caprice, which is one of the last patterns released by this venerable elegant glass company. Most pieces of Caprice were pressed with graceful arched wide ribs but some of the stemware was light and airy with blown stems. This piece is one of those blown goblets.

Caprice stemware has fancy stems with the two rounded wafers and ribbed center section. You can see several colors, as if it were iridescent, in the bowl; that is due to the optic.

We're going to highlight many of our favorite stemware shapes and designs over the next few weeks, so look for more posts about stemware.

Duncan Miller Amber Basket

Pretty shade of amber, nice size, attractive tooled handle - what's not to like? Baskets originally were viewed as a type of vase, and they are fun to use with flowers. This one is by Duncan Miller and has their distinctive panels and nice curvy rim shape.

Glass baskets are so pretty, why not try one yourself?

Swanky Swigs - Cute Little Glasses with Retro Charm

Isn't this a cute little tumbler? This is one of the Swanky Swigs, small tumblers originally used to package cheese, that are very collectible today. Swanky Swigs come in about 2 dozen styles and in juice glass and slightly larger sizes.

This is one of the Cornflower designs. Other designs are darling children's motifs, such as a stuffed teddy bear and a real bear cub looking at each other, or are solid bright colors.

We have several Swanky Swigs listed in our TIAS store, http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/ and this is one of the items we always look out for at flea markets and estate sales.

If you like nostalgia, you'll enjoy these small vintage decorated tumblers!

Prelude Etch - New Martinsville Begun, Viking Continued

Isn't this pretty? It is the bon bon with turned up edges and two handles and the etch is Prelude by New Martinsville. New Martinsville was reorganized into the Viking Glass company near the time that Prelude was begun. Prelude was a successful etch for New Martinsville and Viking continued it, and in fact produced more pieces.

Some of the later pieces have less elaborate shapes or less careful finishing and I've read that you may even find pieces where the design was applied externally, as a paint, instead of etched. This piece has a ground base rim and likely dates to the earlier part of the production.

We offer this on our eBay site and our online store within the TIAS collectible mall.

Lido Etch - Firework Puffs on Glass

Are these fireworks? Or are they milkweed puffs? Hard to tell, but this etch is Lido by Fostoria. Here we show the water goblet, which is Fostoria's Sceptre blank. The poofy etches puffs (try saying that fast 5 times) are twined around the sides of the goblet bowl.

This is a favorite etch of mine and we have the water goblets, flared Baroque bowl and Baroque torte plate. I just sold the mayo set this evening.

Go ahead and take a look at this lovely etch by Fostoria! It may become your favorite, too!

So... You Would Like Me to Identify Your Glass?

I get many requests to identify glass for people. This is flattering of course, but I am hardly an expert. Of course, the definition of "an expert" is someone who knows more than you do. So by that very generous definition, maybe I am!

Anyway, I will always try to help someone if I can. If the person asks nicely, I will gladly look at a clear photograph and do my best. What I will not do is first identify it, then provide a valuation and then agree to buy it. I may offer a range of book value, with the caveats that pricing depends on condition and that actual values vary and so on. And I may in rare instances offer to buy.

It is unethical to first offer a valuation and then offer to buy. I won't do it. And I am not a qualified appraiser; I only know what my books suggest and what I see items sell at online auction.

If you want me to help you, here's what to do.
1. Ask.
2. Take one very good picture, ideally of the pattern.
3. Send it.
4. Say "please" and "thank you".

If I cannot identify it or you don't agree, please don't argue. I did my best.

Oyster Cocktails - Fostoria Colony Crystal

Isn't this cute? It is the oyster cocktail in Fostoria's elegant crystal pattern Colony. Oyster cocktails are usually among the pricier stems, probably because they are less commonly found than sherbets or water goblets. On the other hand, what do you use them for?

Unless you eat a lot of oysters, you probably don't need a separate piece of glass for your dinner table. But wait! This is just the perfect size for today's dipping sauces, or small doses of salsa for your chips, or cocktail sauce for your shrimp.

Problem solved. We now have a very pretty piece of elegant glass stemware that is useful, ornamental, and just the perfect size. After all, those dipping sauces are rather high in calories and you want to control portions. What better way to do that than with using a piece of vintage stemware?

Newport Cobalt Blue Depression Glass

This is the footed sugar bowl in Hazel Atlas' cobalt blue depression glass. The pattern is Newport and also called Hairpin. You can find Newport in cobalt and amethyst depression glass.

Hazel Atlas used these molds with their colored Platonite opaque glass during the 1950s but it is apparently not common here in mid-Michigan as we've never seen it!

Newport is a neat shape with the design causing small scallops in the rim that are echoed in the foot of this sugar. The blue is especially attractive; to me the amethyst lacks sparkle.

If you like blue or amethyst glass, consider Newport as your pattern of choice!

Georgian - Lovely Honeycomb Glassware

This is the footed sherbet from Viking Glass in their Georgian pattern. Almost every glass company made a Georgian pattern and it can be difficult to tell them apart, especially the water tumblers. Some pieces, like this sherbet or the matching goblet, are much easier.

We got a large set of Viking amber Georgian this summer and it is slowly finding new homes. There is an abundance of it available so it sells slowly and is not very expensive.

Viking made Georgian in many colors, as did Cambridge, Paden City, Fenton, Hocking and others. One way to tell makers is by the number of mold seams and whether the base is ground. Viking did not grind their bases but Cambridge and other elegant glass companies did. My grandmother had a set of ruby Georgian water tumblers and I still like this design.

Burple - Horrible Name for Nice Depression Glass!

This nice pattern with an icky name has curved ribs between rows of dots in ascending sizes. It is quite attractive and has a vintage look. The pattern name? Burple. Isn't that an awful name for something nice?

This is from Hocking Glass during the depression. All we have ever seen here were the bowls, usually the larger bowl, about 8 inches across as shown here. Replacements shows two sizes of plates and a cup and saucer in addition to this larger bowl and small individual bowls. You are most likely to find this in clear but Hocking also made Royal Ruby and Forest Green. We had the green and it is quite attractive but to my mind doesn't show off the deco style as well as the clear.

Let's Try Again - Another Central Glass Lovely Stem

I had high hopes for my Central Glass Thistle etch cocktail but no luck; the auction expired without a nibble on New Years Day. We're going to try another unusual stem from Central Glass, this time the Floral Trumpets etch champagne sherbet. Even the blank (glass shape) is somewhat uncommon. Floral Trumpets is etch number 22 and the blank is number 364.

My reference book shows this blank in an ad which is how I know what it is! Central Glass had some unusual and very pretty etches. This one is unlike any other with the flower sprays blooming from the trumpet-like shapes.

In 2005 my biggest sales week was between Christmas and New Years and January 2006 was one of my best ever months. In 2006 November and December dragged right until the last week, in fact New Years Eve was as much as the rest of December. Then sales plummeted in January 2007 and stayed low until mid-November. In 2007 December was pretty good and steady, but there was no surge at the end. I saved many of my best - and most expensive - items until after Christmas but they did not sell. We'll try again.