What Determines Antique Glass?
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by: Tom Williams
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Word Count: 548
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 Time: 2:26 PM
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Glass, which has been around for hundreds of years, actually did not become a staple of household use until the late 1800's. Glass jars for food storage and preservation, commonly known as canning jars, was one of the first widespread uses of glass for the homemaker. As the Glass industry matured, the homemaker was soon introduced to a variety of glassware for use in the home, and subsequently, a new field of collecting was soon born.
In the century that followed dozens of glass manufacturers sprung up, creating millions of pieces of glass in a seemingly unlimited number of colors and patterns. Hazel Atlas Glass company had produced canning jars for several years, and was one of the first glass houses to produce general utilitarian glass for the average home. These pieces made in the early 1900s has become the focus of many collectors who seek out antique glass for their collections.
Typically, a generally accepted age for antique glass is at least 75 years old. However, the age does not necessarily reflect the value of antique glass Many collectors will value glass that may be 50 years old, the experts usually refer to this glass as 'collectible' and not antique glass. Glassware does not necessarily have to be antique glass to be considered valuable; it is mainly the desire of the particular piece that determines the price or value.
On the other hand, just because a piece is considered antique glass does not mean it is valuable simply because of its age. Values are largely determined by supply and demand, the same as any commodity. To this end, it is important for a collector to know the values when buying or selling antique glassware. One of the first places many people turn to when they want to find a value for antique glass, is an antique dealer. Not all antique dealers will honestly appraise your antique glass, especially if he stands to gain from your inexperience and ignorance of antiques.
You could spend hours looking through books to determine the pattern or price of your antique glass. However, the Internet provides an easy way to find out the values of your antique glass through collectors clubs and websites. By joining a collector club or visiting their website, you may be able to quickly determine the pattern and the hard part of researching your antique glass is done. It is important to become knowledgeable on the antique glassware that you own or collect, to ensure you are getting the right price when buying or selling.
The glass houses that produced what is considered antique glass in the early to mid 1900s are a small group, therefore, it is very easy to find information on most antique glassware. These companies included Jeanette Glass, Duncan and Miller, Hazel Atlas Glass, and McKee Glass. These companies produced the majority of all glass in the 1930s and 1940s. While all of these companies produced a fair share of household glassware during this period, the Hazel Atlas Glass company led the way in producing the most patterns. In Fact, Hazel Atlas was the largest glass manufacturer in the USA. Investigating the Hazel Atlas company would be the best place to begin your research.
About the Author
The author is the webmaster of the Hazel Atlas Glass collectors website and has published dozens of articles in trade magazines and the web to help collectors of Antique Glass. Visit the Hazel Atlas Glass collectors club for more information on identifying, collecting and values.
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