Amber Center Handled Server Bowl New Martinsville

Isn't this an interesting piece? You'll see more of the center handled serving trays or sandwich trays than ones like this that are shallow bowls.

The handle on this bowl is a rounded pentagon with two little ears beneath the open center. It reminds me of an ankh. New Martinsville made this piece and the maker can be identified by the handle shape.

The handle is offset from the square sides and aligns to the corners. You can see the corners have interesting scallops and there are more scallops, albeit quite gentle ones, on the sides. This pattern doesn't have a name, and is line number 36. The color is a deep, rich amber, very nice and warm, perfect for this time of year.

We have this listed in our TIAS store.http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/

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

Amber Glass - Warm and Rich and Getting Popular!

When I first started selling glass in 1999 you could hardly give amber depression away. People wanted pink; they wanted blue; they like green. Amber sat there. My sales of amber glass started picking up noticeably in 2007 and this year have gone better than any other color.

I don't think it's just because I have a little more selection or different patterns as the choice seems to be across the board. In fact one customer told me she didn't want any pink Sharon because she could find it anywhere. She wanted amber or green. Until this past year I hardly ever came across pink Sharon - or most other pink patterns - at reasonable prices, but there are more auctions for pink or green and it's been available other places too.

Personally I've always liked the richer amber colors, like this Old English footed bowl by Indiana Glass. Both Fostoria and Cambridge have incredible amber colors, rich, deep, not a trace of brown or green. I'll show some amber glass later this week.

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?

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.

Sharon Cabbage Rose Depression Glass

Sharon, or Cabbage Rose, is one of the most popular depression glass patterns from Federal Glass. It has a mold-etched design of large open roses in an asymmetric spray on the center and more roses on the rim. Rose designs are always popular and this one is nice. The asymmetric design gives it a bit more punch than many patterns.

Sharon comes in pink, green and amber mostly and we have all three colors. Plates, like the dinner plate shown here, are thicker than many depression patterns.

Like several other patterns that are highly collected, Sharon has been reproduced. I worried about telling the repros apart but it really is pretty easy. The ugly, misshapen creamer shown next is a repro. I got carried away one evening on eBay and the photo was awful and I thought it might be Mayfair. The green Mayfair creamer is quite valuable so I took a chance like a dummy. You can tell that this is a bad repro by the strange color, lumpy shape, and poorly molded pattern.

Fostoria Loop Optics and Drape Optics - Neat Effects in Glass

The green vase is from Fostoria, made in the late 1920s. It doesn't have any etching or other decoration so the pattern is from the optic pressed into the glass.

Optics are shaped on the inside; they are a molded design that makes the piece look shimmery. Some optics are vertical, like panels, others are spiral, or dots or like this example, look like festoons or drapes. Usually the optic will be named something you can recognize so they are not as difficult as some etchings to remember.

Fostoria used optics in several designs. Besides this vase, they used the loop optic in the stemware pattern Cellini, and the ice tea in that design is shown on the right.

Most glass companies used optics. Some are subtle and you will hardly notice them while others jump right out at you. Even depression glass patterns used optics. Block Optic, for example, has vertical lines on the outside and horizontal optic on the inside, making the design look like stacked blocks.

We have all of these listed in our eBay store and our TIAS store, linked on the left. Happy Glassing!

Romantic Holidays with Vintage Stemware

Beautiful stemware with a history! You can add romance and a touch of nostalgia to your holidays by using vintage stemware. Whether you enjoy goblets treasured by your parents and passed down to you or you purchase stemware to start your own family tradition, lovely stemware adds a touch of elegance and sets you apart from everyone else.

The goblet shown on the left is beautifully etched with open roses and flower blossoms. This is called a plate etching, with the design inset into the glass surface. The particular goblet shown is Secretaries Primrose made by Monongah glass sometime before 1931. The flowers and simple shape make this fresh and appealing even today.

Other stemware, such as the amber Georgian goblet by Viking, is more suited to family meals as it is heavier and comes in a huge range of shapes including the goblet shown, plus tumblers, ice teas, juice and sherbets. Georgian has a honeycomb look to it and I remember my grandma had a set of red tumblers. Many glass companies made this design and you can find a rainbow of colors. I like this rich honey amber color which is perfect for fall. It makes you feel warm all over!

If you like the idea of adding a touch of charm and tradition to your family, please check our store, Cat Lady Kate's Elegant and Depression Glass, for these and other vintage stemware.