Mayfair Open Rose Depression Glass

This pitcher is Mayfair pink depression glass by Hocking. This pattern has vertical ribs and wide panels with open roses grouped in a bouquet. Many pieces are square as is this pitcher.

Hocking made Mayfair for several years, 1931 to 1937, and in a soft blue plus some green, yellow and clear in addition to the pink. The blue is very scarce and I've seen only a couple pieces. It is a soft blue, not cobalt.

A few pieces of Mayfair have been reproduced, notably the pitcher, shot glass, shakers and cookie jar. The handle on the pitcher shown here is a smooth curve that comes horizontally off the body. The repro handles are odd shaped. Also, the base on the originals have round mold marks with the repros lack.

Good depression glass books will give details on how to tell repros from originals. Often the repros will be poorly molded or be strange colors that were never made.

We have this pitcher listed in our TIAS store and eBay store.

Fostoria Garland - Lovely Urn and Wreath Etched Stemware

Beautiful etch is Garland from Fostoria. This dates to between 1915 and 1928 and is lovely with today's table settings.

Fostoria made a cutting called Garland also, and they used a second stemware line for this etch. If you like this you will want to be sure you are getting the etch and stemware blank you prefer. The other blank has a much wider stem and the bowl is more bulbous.

Garland features an urn overflowing with flowers and leaves that form swags around the bowl. The swags connect to round wreaths that have ribbons at the end. You can see the wreaths in this view.

During the early part of the 20th century formal dinners often included multiple wines and used separate stems for each one. This is one reason why the wine stems from early days are much smaller than wine stems one buys today. This particular wine goblet holds only 2 3/4 ounces when filled to the very brim. This is the common size for older wine stems - another point to know if you decide to indulge yourself with vintage crystal stemware.

We have this listed in our TIAS and eBay stores.
http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/
http://stores.ebay.com/Vintage-Elegant-Depression-Glass

New: We started a blog for people who are just beginning to enjoy depression glass called Depression Glass 101. http://depressionglassguide.blogspot.com/

Old English Depression Glass aka Threading by Indiana Glass

Yes, this is depression glass, but it has a lot of looks and is stylish even today. The pattern is Old English and it has narrow, fine ribs running horizontally. The element that makes this pattern pop is the handle shape - notice the double curlicue on this comport. Some pieces have open clover shapes, very nice and sharp.

Indiana Glass made Old English in the late 1920s. Many of Indiana's depression patterns have only numbers, but this one is different as the pattern name appears to be original with the manufacturer. This has the appearance of finer glass, partly due to the style, but also the colors and shapes. It comes in green with some amber and pink and the amber is deep and rich, very nice.

We have this piece and the matching candle holder listed in our TIAS and eBay stores.
http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/
http://stores.ebay.com/Vintage-Elegant-Depression-Glass