The History of Depression Glass

Depression Glass was produced in the mid 1920's through the end of the 1930's, and some companies even produced Depression Glass into the 1950's. Depression Glass was the first machine produced glassware in the United States. This "pressed" glass was molten glass that was poured into a mold and mechanically pressed to form the piece of glass. This enabled the development of many different patterns and shapes. Depression glass come in many different pieces such as plates, sugar bowls, creamers, cups, and vases. It also comes in a variety of colors from the popular pinks, greens, yellows, to dark blues and reds. There is a color for almost everyone's taste.

Depression was cheap glassware for the everyday household during the Great Depression. It was so cheaply produced that often you could get a free piece in you clothes soap or your oatmeal. This was nice for the struggling family during the Great Depression because you could eventually get a whole set of glassware just buying the things you needed to run your household without spending money on glassware. You could also purchase this glassware in stores.

It has been said that the popularity of Depression Glass helped to stimulate the economy and helped the United States emerge from the depression.

Depression Glass today is highly collectible and can be found in most antique shops across the country. One of the most highly sought after pieces is the dome on a butter dish. Often the dome was broken whereas the butter dish itself would outlast the dome. I have seen butter dish domes go for many hundreds of dollars. As well some of the more elaborate pitchers are very expensive as well. Most depression plates are not as expensive because a family might have 10 or 12 plates and only one pitcher. I have read that the amber and yellow colors were the most popular in the day, so there are more pieces in those colors available today, but in my antiquing experience I have seen more pink than anything. Some people also say the most popular color today is green, and again in my experience green is a bit harder to come by than pink. I think it's all in the desire of the buyer as to what color is the most popular. Everyone has their favorite color of Depression Glass.

There are companies out there that are still making Depression Glass and when you are on the market to buy some do a bit of research to make sure you are not buying a reproduction. Some companies will change a pattern slightly so that it's known that their glass is a reproduction. However some companies are in it for money so they will try their best to exactly reproduce their product to fake out the buyers. Some tips for knowing how to spot a reproduction are most reproductions are made with thicker glass and and because techniques were not as good back in the 20's and 30's many real pieces have flaws such as bubbles and scratches that you may not see on a reproduction. Knowing what patterns you are looking at is a huge step in making sure you are getting an authentic piece.

Experience is also a must. All you have to do is go to an antique mall and look at the pieces. Don't let the prices fool you as some reproductions have big price tags for the express reason of fooling you and making a buck. So just have fun with it and be careful. Go to your local library and look at some patterns and colors so you have a general idea of what to look for.

I just wanted to add one more thing, and that's that all the photos in this hub are part of my personal collection of Depression Glass. I have 9 pieces in total. Not many but I am working on it.