Depression glass was cheaply machine-produced glassware manufactured between the 1920’s and the 1940’s. Individual pieces were given away in boxes of oats as an incentive to keep buying oats. They were given away at movie theaters with the price of admission and they were given away at business for shopping at their stores. Giving away this glassware was a cheap advertising gimmick during the Depression era to get repeat business. Housewives loved it and would try to collect all the pieces that were offered.
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The glass was machine molded and produced automatically by forcing liquid glass through pipes into pressing molds. This was both a new technique and new machinery for the era. As time and technology progressed glass was molded with decorations etched right into the mold giving the effect of acid etching, all done with a machine, it was pretty and cheap to make. Coloring agents covered up the cheap commercial quality of this glass. Color helped cover up the bubbles, straw marks and other impurities that the clear glass could not hide. Look at any piece of cheaply made depression-era glass and you’ll find that most do have bubbles and tiny lines.
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There are actually two different types of depression glassware, the cheaply made items we have just discussed and the elegant high quality glassware.
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Some of the companies that mass produced glassware in the depression era were Anchor Hocking Glass Company, Federal Glass, Hazel Atlas Glass, Hocking Glass, Imperial Glass Company, Indiana Glass Company, Jeanette Glass Company, McKee Glass Company, Paden City Glass Company and US Glass Company. These are names you will come across in flea markets, antique stores, eBay and advertised in estate auction flyers.
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If you compare a piece of common depression glassware to its elegant counterpart you will see and feel a big difference. Some companies that are linked to these elegant pieces of Depression glass are Fenton, Cambridge, Fostoria and Heisey there is no question about quality with these companies.
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The hardest thing about collecting any kind of glass is that they reproduce everything, pieces look the same on the surface but are years apart. One indication of a reproduction piece is they usually have a different feel, the color is just a bit deeper and the glass a bit thicker. My biggest piece of advice is to do your research, find both old pieces and reproduction pieces and compare the two. There are literally hundreds of books available about depression glassware so when collecting Depression Glass read, compare and ask questions.
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