The reproduction Cherry Blossom butter dish is on left—the actual butter dish is on right.

Cherry Blossom was produced by the Jeannette Glass Co., located in Jeannette, Pa., from 1930-39. It was produced in the standard pink and green, but a great set can also be put together in Delphite. Additionally, a limited number of pieces can be found in Crystal, Jadeite and an Amberina shade. Pink is most prevalent, however, as it was produced for the entire production run, where green was discontinued after 1935. Is green impossible to find these days? No, but it will be just a little more challenging to complete your set.

Cherry Blossom is also one of the Top 5 most-collected Depression Glass patterns! The beautiful pattern is not only eye catching, but has a variety of pieces making it quite useful. It also can be found just about everywhere, making it a little easier to collect than some patterns. Unfortunately, this has also made it a target of copiers, as it is one of the most reproduced of all depression patterns.

When I identify a reproduction (repro) in a person’s collection, I always hear “it can’t be, as it was my grandmother’s, and she wouldn’t have reproductions. She had this set 50 years!” Unfortunately, they were making repros in the 1970s, and in some cases, even earlier. If the collector was alive and possibly buying replacement pieces, it is quite possible many collections have reproductions among the genuine articles.

Trying to figure out if it’s real or a repro can be difficult with this pattern, as there is not really a common thread to look for in the pieces. I’ve also found there are different levels of repros with this pattern! Some of the older reproductions are very good and have slipped by the best of us, while the latter made repros coming out of China are very bad and easily caught.

My first recommendation to anyone collecting a pattern is to buy a book! Barbara & Jim Mauzy’s “Comprehensive Handbook of Depression Glass” (a Schiffer book) is a good place to start. The hardback book has great pictures and each piece is identified so you’re not guessing what you’re looking at. There is also a pocket guide that you can carry with you when you shop. The pocket version does not have as many photos, but it has a place where you can keep track of the number of pieces you have so you know what you need (as long as you keep it updated). Both books list detailed information on the pieces that are reproduced. Of course there are many other great books out there, but I find this is the most comprehensive and informative.

I recently helped a dealer identify some Cherry Blossom glass, and the set included a reproduction version of a butter dish. These are a big seller since they are a high-ticket item. She felt bad she had been taken, but was kind enough to let me photograph the piece to use in this article! So let’s study how we can tell if the butter dish is real or a repro!

The first things I try to tell people learn your pattern; learn how it feels in your hands as well as what it looks like. Study your pieces. There is a feel to Depression Glass that is different from all other glass. That’s something that cannot really be explained but you will learn over time. Just as Depression Glass has a certain feel, reproduced glass has a certain feel of its own. Many of the cheaply made repos feel oily. When you touch the glass it just has a slick feeling to it. I always say I want to wash my hands after touching it! But be careful though with this rule, as French Opalescent Glass can feel oily, too, and it’s not a reproduction! Cherry Blossom though should not feel oily!

Many times on repros the coloring is off. It can either be too light of a pink, too orange of a pink or too deep of a green. Some colors were never made in certain patterns, so that is the biggest give a way! You will also find there are exceptions to every rule, so be careful. Sick glass—glass that did not process correctly or glass that has been “reheated”—can have an orange shade to it. The color of glass is derived from how hot the furnaces were during manufacturing. In those days, they did not have a perfect measurement for temperature, and because of the nature of this glass, they didn’t really care, either. The shades may not match because of this reason alone.

I’ve also purchased a collection of Depression Glass and asked the women what had happened to her glass? All her glass, all different patterns, had an orange tint to it. Many pieces and patterns were never reproduced, so I knew this wasn’t the reason. She couldn’t believe I knew something happened, but she had suffered a very intense fire. The glass had been “reheated” and had developed an orange tint to it. I’m not a chemist and can’t explain how that happens (probably something to do with molecules). Just to show you there are exceptions to every rule, so you have to look further when identifying a reproduction. I can’t stress this enough.

Now, let’s break down how I identified this butter dish as a repro. First, the pink color was just a tad lighter than usual; almost a washed out pink. The feel of the glass was heavy, and the base had an especially rougher feel than Depression glass usually does. When I say rougher, I don’t mean rough edges; I mean the entire feel of the glass. Again, these two identification points are something that comes with time; don’t expect to run out tomorrow and say this feels like a repo as you may pass up some great glass, I did when first starting out.

Next, one of the common threads in the reproduction of this pattern is the flowering portion of this pattern. On some of the repros the flowers look as if your 7-year-old drew them! I always worried how was I ever going to be able to tell this, but when you see it for the first time, you will say, “Oh, that’s what they mean!” If you have any piece of Cherry Blossom with this type of flower, it is a repo. Take a look at the flowers on this butter dish.

Two views of reproduction Cherry Blossom butter dish lid panel. The flowers above look like a child’s drawing.	Notice the outline of this flower; the pistils and stems look hand-drawn, while the center is just a circle.
Two views (above and right) of an actual Cherry Blossom butter dish lid panel.	The flowers have a more realistic look, filled in and definitely not hand-drawn.

In this case, you can really stop at the flower identification. But let’s look at a few other hints. The pattern impression on the repro butter dish lid starts approximately ¼ inch from the edge. This impression can also be found on the footed tumblers. Also, when you look at the lines going around the dish, the genuine piece will have the impression of three lines. This feature is something that was missed on many of the reproduction butter dishes, where you will only find one line going around. Be careful with this, though, as sometimes the real butter dishes were not filled into the mold properly, or pressed hard enough and the three lines do not go solidly around the lid. Don’t discount it as real for that reason.

The reproduction Cherry Blossom butter dish on left has only one visible mold line around base of lid, as compared to the genuine Cherry Blossom butter dish lid, which shows three mold lines around the lid.

Now let’s look at the ways to tell if the bottom is authentic.

The oily feel we mentioned previously carries through to the bottom, as well as the “childish” flowers. Here, however, to find those flowers you need to look on the rim that goes around the edge of the butter dish, where you would hold it. There is only a small section of flower, but is easily spotted.

The flowers on rim of this reproduction base again look as if they were drawn by a child.

The flowers on rim of this genuine Cherry Blossom butter dish base are more realistic.

The final test for authenticity would be the pattern on the inside of the bottom of the butter dish. This comes in two forms. First, the pattern of leaves, branches and cherries again has an authentic look to it on the actual butter dish, where on the repo the leaves look hand-drawn, the cherries are more like round circles on a repo. The biggest give-a-way though is on the actual butter dish base the pattern extends to where the base meets the sides of the dish, but on a repo base the pattern stops approximately a quarter-inch in from this point. This leaves a small circular border of plain glass around the bottom.

The leaves on a genuine Cherry Blossom butter dish base have an authentic look to them, with the cherries shaded for a realistic appearance. The pattern of the branches and cherries, as well as the tip of the leaves, also extend out to the edge of the base.

The leaves, cherries and stems in the reproduction Cherry Blossom butter dish base appear to have been hand-drawn. Additionally, the leaves do not extend to the edge of the dish, nor does the stem; they leave approximately a quarter-inch of empty space around the dish.

Now you are armed with a few ways to tell if your Cherry Blossom is real or a repo, especially if you come across a butter dish. As time goes on you will learn the feel of the glass and be able to tell maybe by that alone. If you’re not sure, however, it’s better to pass up a piece than to pay too much for a reproduction. Even when I know a piece of glass is not a reproduction, I’ve had times where it just didn’t feel right to me, so I passed it up. I’ve made some big mistakes, but on the other hand, I need to please myself first in buying glass.

Take your new-found knowledge and test it out. However, until you’re sure you have perfected it, don’t tell someone their dish is a repo. Wait until you can tell for sure. Some will take you at your word and some will never believe you no matter what you say to convince them. I refer back to the famous quote “this came from an estate where the woman was in her 90s; it must be real!” Now you know the truth!

Linda Carannante is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in Depression Glass. Visit Linda at www.TLCAntiques.net to find authentic Cherry Blossom Depression Glass as well as many other patterns.

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My obsession with glass began at the age of 16 with a pink Cherry Blossom Cup & Saucer that I purchased for $ .25!  Over the years as I began a family & it grew, so did my collection!   My husband, who I met when I was 17 jumped right in too!   His philosophy has always been if you like it, buy it!  Ladies you can’t find one better than that.

One of my early goals was to have at least one piece from every pattern which I quickly began.  As my family grew I decided I wanted to bring them into the appreciation of this glass I loved.  I began putting a complete set together for each of them and picked my favorite patterns so that I could share my love with them.  Each special occasion, family dinner or birthday the collections came out and we used them!

In the beginning the children didn’t understand, all they knew was the pink dishes with the cherries on them belonged to the oldest, the green ones that looked the same were for my daughter and the baby got the pink dishes with the holes in the edges!  For years that is what my prized pieces were referred to!  For those that can’t guess the patterns from their expert naming; in order we have Pink & Green Cherry Blossom and Pink Open Lace, also called Lace Edge or Old Colony!  As they got older, the name changed just to “the dishes we can’t put in the dishwasher!”  But whenever we walked through an antique store, or went to a flea market they would run around and look for a piece then run back to find out if we needed that.  The game they would start to play was run back and announces “I found a piece for my sister’s pattern but I’m not going to tell where it is!”  Then she would beg and plead; when the tears were about to begin he’d tell her.  Of course she did her share of getting even with him.  The younger one just ran after them both.  Every Christmas when they found a piece with their father they could hardly sit still until I opened the box.  Most years my daughter couldn’t hold it in and would say Papa didn’t know if you needed this or not but he said we can always use an extra!  (Husband is from Italy so kids always call him Papa just to be clear it isn’t Grandpa!)

When we set the table we would alternate colors, green dinner plate, pink salad plate, green sherbet plate and finally pink sherbet dish on top.  Then the next place setting would be the reverse.  This not only looked beautiful, we used everyone’s dishes and it also kept the kids busy for hours trying to get the setting correct while I did the cooking with no one under foot!  (See I had ulterior motives!)  Also I understand I’m ahead of my time as Oprah now says it’s better to set a table with different place settings.

Every special dinner every guest would know just who’s dish they were using and were politely told how delicate these dishes could be so be careful!  (At this point I would slide under the table in embarrassment)   As they grew they began to realize the value in those colored dishes and a new joke era began.  One of the kids would yell at the other not to scratch their plate, don’t cut your meat like that because that plate belongs to me; oh if it’s your plate then I can drop it; put ice in that pitcher because it’s his and so on.  I got them good one year as we were having a large gathering, making sure everything was absolutely perfect with the glass, large elegant candlesticks, silver polished and cleaning for weeks.  The kids were going on how strangers would scratch their dishes and ruin them.  When dinner was announced everyone came to the table going on about how beautiful it was, “Oh that’s Depression Glass I didn’t know there was so much still around”, then sat down and politely looked at each other.  My children however started rolling off their chairs as I had set the table with all my beautiful glass and plastic utensils!  After the Shrimp I let them use real utensils but the memory is laughed about every gathering we have!

My personal favorite was one year for my anniversary my husband bought all 16 of the tall Cherry Blossom tumblers, which are quite expensive.  The new rule was when we do cheers no banging the glasses as hard as they usually did, which was actually trying to see if they could shatter them.  Well they secretly made a pact and when we did cheers they all put their hands between the glasses so this has become our new way to toast!

I hear so many people tell me their children want no part of their collections.  When asked do they use them the common answer is, NO!  It’s too expensive, I can’t put them in the dishwasher, they may get scratched and so on.   Maybe if there was more of the above we’d have less of our children not being interested in them?  If the reason you began your collection was a special memory of someone you cherished don’t you want your children to have that same special memory?   I would wash a 1000 more hours of dishes, if I had to, just to keep those memories.

Depression Glass vs. Elegant Glass: What’s The Difference?

By Linda Carannante

One big misnomer that I often hear is the assumption that all Pink and Green Glassware is Depression Glass. This isn’t always the case, and the pieces in question may very well be Elegant Glass. So what is the difference and where did these names come from?

Depression and Elegant is actually a modern name bestowed by price guide writers who had to find an easier way to describe the glass they were writing about. In the end, both names were appropriate. Both types of glass began production around the same period of time; the late 1900s. The overall “recipe” to make the glass was basically the same. Some companies even made both types of glass, and, to confuse you even more, they used the same molds to produce them!

The name “Depression Glass” was given to a period of glass whose production began around 1920 and continued until the late ’40s. However, some patterns which are still considered Depression were still being made into the 1980s. Throughout glass collecting circles, Depression glass is typically American-made glassware, but we must not forget that this glass was also being produced throughout Canada, Europe & Australia.

If not made only during the Depression years, why then is it called Depression Glass? I’ve heard several assumptions over the years as to why it acquired the name. The most accepted reason seems to be this is a form of “pressed” glass, originating during a “depressed” era, thus the name was born!

The simplest way to explain it is that for the most part, Depression Glass is machine-made glass that was mass produced and did not have to be touched by human hands. Imperfections were a natural part of the process and often left alone. It was usually a premium item or sold in a dime store.

Depression Glass was produced in a variety of colors in addition to pink and green; blue, amber, yellow, crystal and even white to name a few. Jeannette Glass, MacBeth Evans, Anchor Hocking, Imperial, Hazel Atlas, U.S. Glass were just some of the companies that produced Depression Glass.

Elegant Glass

Elegant Glass—although it has many of the same characteristics such as color, production and era—had to be touch by “human hands” in its production. Elegant Glass, unlike Depression, was polished to get rid of the imperfections in the glass. These same imperfections are one of the things we expect to find in Depression Glass. The base of bowls, platters, etc. in Elegant Glass were ground so it would sit evenly on your table; acid etching or hand etching was used to create the pattern, one more beautiful then the next.

Another, and probably the biggest difference, is the way in which two were distributed. As we said before Depression was usually a premium item or sold in the 5 & 10 stores. Conversely, Elegant Glass was sold in the finer stores and never given away.

These patterns were marketed as wedding patterns, as early on china was not really used. One reason may be it was much more expensive and American Companies were far behind Japan and other foreign countries in producing colorful, attractive china in a large variety. Elegant glass provided a variety of beautifully etched designs in an equally attractive array of colors as well as pieces. There was a piece of glass created for every possible use, and available in many patterns! This was something else Depression Glass did not offer. The more successful an Elegant pattern was, the more pieces you would find. Take Candlewick for example. You have your standard table setting, but you also have a Card Tray, which the lady of the house would have her cards on and setting in the middle of her bridge table when her guests would arrive; lights were made for every room of your house; not only the glasses were made for your cocktails, but the decanter, the bitters bottle, and even the muddler was made; All you needed to serve a proper drink!

Elegant Glass was made by several glass companies; Heisey, Fostoria, Cambridge, Imperial, just to name a few. Because of the the onset of World War II, many glass companies went out of business or were bought out by other companies. Molds continued to be utilized and patterns went on just under other names.

One more thing: Where Depression Glass, for the most part, was fading away in the 1940s, it was the opposite for Elegant Glass. The momentum for this type of glass was increasing. Think about it: Families were benefitting post war and wanting to add the finer things. People disposed of their Depression Glass as it represented a time they couldn’t afford anything else! Elegant Glass represented status, change and an individual affluence. I remember when I was 16, I purchased my first piece of Depression Glass and my mother’s first words were: “What did you buy poor man’s glass for?” My response was if she would have kept hers, she would have been a rich darn woman! However, that shows you the mindset of a particular item. A single piece of glass represented a status to many.

There is beauty in both types of glassware as well as an economic building of a nation. Their common threads are stronger than their differences, although great. These two sets of glass were developed early in our history, their production kept this country going during a hard time, and they lived on for future generations to cherish!

Well, now that you know the definitions of each. Aren’t they a perfect fit?

Reference: The Collector’s Guide to Depression Glass by Marian Klamkin 1973

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During the first decade of the 20th century, Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company continued to enjoy the sweet success of an established business with quality products. But in the 1920s, with electricity now in most homes, the need for oil and gas lighting lessened and profits began to slow. In order to increase sales they had to diversify.

A lead designer, Reuben Haley, convinced management to launch an affordable giftware line. It was his innovative designs that led Consolidated to regain profits and reestablish itself as a premier glass house. From 1926 to 1929, Consolidated introduced over seven giftware lines that were sold in department stores all over the country. I have chosen to focus on three very different lines: “Martele,” “Catalonian,” and “Ruba Rombic.”

The “Martele” Line

Ruben Haley’s designs were influenced greatly by an exposition in Paris in 1925. The exposition had the top designers from all over the world competing and showcasing their “moderne” wares. One glass designer emerged overwhelmingly as the best at this exposition – Rene Lalique. Reuben brought back Lalique’s ideas and actually copied some of his patterns. In 1926, Consolidated introduced their “Martele” sculptured artware line. This line had raised molded designs of birds, flowers, insects, fruit and people. Their Love Birds vase was an exact copy of the Lalique Perruches design. Other pieces, such as the Bird of Paradise, Le Fleur, and Katydid vases had close connections to Lalique originals.

They not only made Martele vases, but also expanded to tableware and smoking sets. This line was popular and the original molds were passed to other glass companies (Phoenix and Fenton) when Consolidated closed its doors.

The “Catalonian” Line

“Catalonian” was introduced in 1927 as a “reproduction of old Spanish glass.” The design, also by Haley, consisted of swirls and bubbles that gave it a crude, rustic feel. Haley was granted several patents for his design and manufacturing processes of the “Catalonian” line. This glass was blown and generally has rough pontil marks. They produced a full line of dinnerware, serving pieces, and gift items. It was available in green and crystal glass as well as a variety of finishes from common light color washes (yellow, purple and green), to less common darker washes (cobalt and ruby), to rare rainbow highlighting (a combination of three colors). “Catalonian” was Consolidated’s most popular and profitable line.

The “Ruba Rombic” Line

In 1928, Consolidated launched a spectacular and unique line that created a quite a stir when it was launched at a glass show in Pittsburgh. “Ruba Rombic” was so innovative that the company touted it (actually adding the phrase to its label) as “an epic in modern art.” The name comes from “rubiay,” which means epic, and “rhomboid,” which means irregular in shape with no parallel lines. This original design by Reuben Haley was granted three separate patents.

The line was very extensive, consisting of tablewares (plates, tumblers, pitchers, serving pieces), powder jars, perfumes, cigarette boxes, and even fishbowls. The color names that the company chose were just as captivating as the glass: Jungle Green, Smokey Topaz, Jade, Lilac, Sunshine, Silver, and Silver Cloud. (Rare pieces have been found in red, black, vaseline and opal.) “Ruba Rombic” epitomizes the Art Deco era with its irregular angles and strong forms.

Even though the glass had fascinating appeal, it was not a success. It was expensive and time consuming to produce. In the manufacturing, the pieces often broke when coming off of the molds because of the acute angles of the fragile glass. The nation was beginning to enter the Depression, and Consolidated stopped producing “Ruba Rombic” three years after it was introduced.

Consolidated Ceases Production

With the Great Depression in full swing, Consolidated Glass Company closed its doors in 1932. “Ruba Rombic” and “Catalonian” would not be produced ever again, but many of the “Martele” molds went to Phoenix Glass Company in Monaca, PA. Phoenix produced the glassware until Consolidated was reopened in 1937 and they returned the molds.

Consolidated Glass made from 1926 to 1931 is highly sought after by collectors. Many museums (Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Greentown Glass Museum, and the Corning Museum of Glass) have Consolidated’s art glass in their permanent collections. Even though the company has closed its doors, it lives on through its timeless works.

References

National Depression Glass Association

Article on Ruba Rombic by Barbara Norman

Phoenix and Consolidated Art Glass By Jack Wilson

Kirkland Museum Collection – Denver, CO

Phoenix and Consolidated Glass Collectors Club

Museum of Fine Arts Houston – Houston TX

Given for free with items such as oats, flour or laundry soap, sold at five-and-dime stores or for a nickel at “Dish Nites” at cinema halls and gas stations, this cheap, mass-produced glassware buoyed up an entire glass industry, as well as the spirits of an entire nation. Scanty meals seemed more bearable with the bright-colored glass, and the expensive-sounding pattern names, in evoking memories of happier days, held out a glimmer of hope for the future.

Paradoxically, in the immediate aftermath of the Great Depression, this glassware became a jarring reminder of painful times. Many people, as they prospered, threw it out.

No one, of course, had counted on the vagaries of the collecting world to turn it into a highly collectible, high-priced glassware, valued as much for its design as for its symbolism of triumph over adversity.

Collecting Depression glass

There are now more than 150,000 Depression-glass collectors in America. With more than 200 Depression-glass patterns to collect, not to mention a prolific industry of reproductions and fakes to sift through, these collectors have their work cut out. Newbies, as in any enterprise, should get well informed before loosening their purse strings. So—

• Buy the latest edition of Gene Florence’s well-researched, comprehensive book, “Collectors’ Encyclopedia of Depression Glass”, as well as other Depression-glass reference books, price guides and catalogs.

• Join Depression-glass collectors’ associations and clubs, visit online forums, read articles and subscribe to mailing lists. The National Depression Glass Association sends out informative newsletters, and magazines such as Reproduction News can be enlightening.

• Visit museums with Depression-glass collections, and attend Depression-glass shows and conventions. Talk to dealers, glass experts and other collectors.

• Learn about Depression-glass manufacturers and their marks. Some of the leading Depression-glass makers were Westmoreland, Heisey, Fostoria, Jeannette, Anchor-Hocking, McBeth-Evans, Hazel Atlas, Federal Glass, Indiana Glass Company and U.S. Glass.

• These manufacturers produced Art Deco, geometric or classical designs in Elegant Glass and Depression Glass. Elegant Glass, after mechanical production, was refurbished, etched and polished by hand. Depression Glass wasn’t. Some of the most popular patterns were Avocado, Royal Lace, Cameo, Mayfair, American Sweetheart, Princess, Cherry Blossom, Sharon, Patrician, Madrid, Moderntone, Windsor, Adam, Sierra, Diana, Waterford, Columbia, Miss America, Iris and Herringbone and Rosemary.

• Depression glass came in different transparent colors such as crystal, pink, amber, blue, green, yellow, red, orange, lavender, iridescent, black and white. There were also some opaque patterns and pieces decorated with gold, platinum and even colored enamel.

• Depression glassware included plates, tumblers, bowls, cups and saucers, decanters, vases, candlesticks, lamps and so on.

• Learn how to recognize authentic Depression glass, determine condition, to detect chips and cracks.

Once you know what’s what, we come to the “Okay, so where do I buy it?” part, and you can take your pick from flea markets, church bazaars, garage sales, antique shops, classified-newspaper ads, estate auctions and online auctions. Or try all of these.

Prices depend on glassware type, design pattern and color, manufacturer, rarity, location of sale and demand from collectors. There is no hard-and-fast pricing.

Tips for Collectors—

Finding pieces to complete a set can be challenging. Many original pieces are difficult or impossible to find on the market nowadays. Or, if available, are expensive. Rare items include butter dishes, serving pieces, lids, cobalt-blue mixing bowls, refrigerator dishes, measuring cups and canisters. Also hard to find are the Shirley Temple cereal bowls, mugs and milk pitchers.

Scratches and nicks are inevitable in regularly used Depression glassware. Even so, avoid buying severely nicked or flawed glass.

Examine each piece carefully before buying. If buying online, ask seller to list all visible flaws, and make sure there’s a money-back guarantee.

Sound like hard work? Not really, and besides, these collectibles are worth any effort you expend.

Other stories by Sonal Panse:

Antiques, Art & Collectibles Auction Ploys

Finding Art & Collectibles in All the Right Places

Paperweight Collectibles Find a Following

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