It's rewarding to learn about early housewares, even if you don't collect yourself. Useful or decorative items made of glass are especially fun, because you can see examples of them in antique centers, flea markets, and even yard sales. You may not want vintage glassware collectibles on your dining room table, but then again maybe you fall in love. This is an inexpensive and enjoyable way to make browsing through junk shops and antique malls more interesting.
If you find the terms antique, vintage, and collectible confusing, don't worry. Basically anything that people want is 'collectible', and there are always crazes and fads going on. Vintage means 'older' - think grandparents' style. Antique is probably over 100 years old and pricey, but vintage can be anything from an attic find to a yard sale treasure. It helps if you can give the item a date or at least a decade.
Collectibles are more fun than investment. Glass dishes are pretty, and if they're 'vintage' rather than 'antique', you won't mind using them. Once you start looking at glass from the twenties, thirties, and forties, you are sure to find patterns, colors, and styles that you admire. Even if you don't want a complete set, consider nut dishes, vases, or dessert plates.
Collectible glass comes in functional pieces like dishes, platters, punch bowls, vases, and drinking glasses. It was also used for decorative items, from paperweights and Christmas tree ornaments to lamp shades, but these are harder to find. It has always been popular to give glass items as wedding presents, and many a family heirloom holds memories of the giver and the occasion. Some highly decorative, colorful glass was given as prizes at carnivals and Bingo games.
It's fun to link styles of glass to history. In America, Depression glass (as it is now known) was a cheap, molded line and not all that well made. However, it was affordable and came in gorgeous colors like cobalt blue, pink, pearly white, and iridescent. Housewives could buy it at the dime store or get it in a box of cereal or detergent. This pretty style was definitely a bright spot in the otherwise dreary 1930s.
There were many American companies turning out glassware during the war years, when imported tableware was unavailable. Names like Fostoria, Heisey, and Cambridge identify higher end glass. Many of these lines were hand-made from molds, rather than machine produced, as well as hand colored. The better lines were called 'elegant glass'.
Maybe you have glasses packed away in the attic, those old-fashioned ones your grandmother used. Get them out and identify them by maker, pattern, color, and date. You may have fairly valuable collectibles or you may just have charming heirlooms to use, as well as knowledge to pass along to your children.
Once you know your glass, trips to yard sales, flea markets, and antique malls are more fun than ever. You can add flair to your table, display pretty plates in a cabinet, or find the perfect vase for the hall table. Decorating with historic things is fun and helps you develop your own unique look.
If you find the terms antique, vintage, and collectible confusing, don't worry. Basically anything that people want is 'collectible', and there are always crazes and fads going on. Vintage means 'older' - think grandparents' style. Antique is probably over 100 years old and pricey, but vintage can be anything from an attic find to a yard sale treasure. It helps if you can give the item a date or at least a decade.
Collectibles are more fun than investment. Glass dishes are pretty, and if they're 'vintage' rather than 'antique', you won't mind using them. Once you start looking at glass from the twenties, thirties, and forties, you are sure to find patterns, colors, and styles that you admire. Even if you don't want a complete set, consider nut dishes, vases, or dessert plates.
Collectible glass comes in functional pieces like dishes, platters, punch bowls, vases, and drinking glasses. It was also used for decorative items, from paperweights and Christmas tree ornaments to lamp shades, but these are harder to find. It has always been popular to give glass items as wedding presents, and many a family heirloom holds memories of the giver and the occasion. Some highly decorative, colorful glass was given as prizes at carnivals and Bingo games.
It's fun to link styles of glass to history. In America, Depression glass (as it is now known) was a cheap, molded line and not all that well made. However, it was affordable and came in gorgeous colors like cobalt blue, pink, pearly white, and iridescent. Housewives could buy it at the dime store or get it in a box of cereal or detergent. This pretty style was definitely a bright spot in the otherwise dreary 1930s.
There were many American companies turning out glassware during the war years, when imported tableware was unavailable. Names like Fostoria, Heisey, and Cambridge identify higher end glass. Many of these lines were hand-made from molds, rather than machine produced, as well as hand colored. The better lines were called 'elegant glass'.
Maybe you have glasses packed away in the attic, those old-fashioned ones your grandmother used. Get them out and identify them by maker, pattern, color, and date. You may have fairly valuable collectibles or you may just have charming heirlooms to use, as well as knowledge to pass along to your children.
Once you know your glass, trips to yard sales, flea markets, and antique malls are more fun than ever. You can add flair to your table, display pretty plates in a cabinet, or find the perfect vase for the hall table. Decorating with historic things is fun and helps you develop your own unique look.
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