Depression glass is glass that was made in the United States during the Great Depression, between the 1920s and 1930s. Depression glass was made a number of companies, who created a wide range of patterns and color tints, with the majority of production taking place in the American Midwest. Depression glass has been regarded as a collector’s item since the 1960s, and it is widely traded at craft fairs, antique stores, and collector’s meetings.
This type of glass is characterized its poor quality. Manufacturers created Depression glass as a freebie item, allowing businesses to give away glass as an incentive to buy their goods. In addition to being given out insurance salesmen, movie theaters, and a variety of other businesses, Depression glass was frequently included in food packaging. The allure of any free product was obvious in an era when times were extremely tough, and the bright colors and various patterns of Depression glass appealed to many people.
Pink, green, amber, and pale blue are common colors for Depression glass, with clear glass being produced some manufacturers. Depression glass was available in yellow, red, black, and delphite, an opaque pale blue. Milk glass, an opaque white glass, was also produced some manufacturers. Depression glass was commonly mass-produced in machine presses and was available in both single pieces and sets.
Depression glass was made a variety of companies, including Fenton Glass, Cambridge Glass, Lancaster Glass, U.S. Glass, and Hocking Glass, to name a few. These businesses usually produced several patterns at once so that they could offer a variety of products. A single piece of this usually colored translucent glass could become a treasured item for families struggling to make ends meet, with many pattern names referencing happier times or optimistically looking into the future.
Elegant glass, a much higher-quality glass produced for department stores from the 1920s to the 1950s, is a similar concept. Elegant glass was created as a cheaper alternative to china, which was prohibitively expensive for many families, and it is now a collector’s item. Affordable china and glassware had become widely available the 1950s, making elegant glass less appealing, but some families still treasure their elegant glass heirlooms.
It’s a good idea to buy an illustrated guidebook that identifies patterns and manufacturers if you plan to collect Depression glass. Keep an eye out for reproduction glass, which isn’t as valuable, and inspect glass items for signs of damage before purchasing. Because Depression glass was so inexpensive at the time of manufacture, it is prone to pitting and cracking if not handled properly.