For many collectors and antique dealers, it is difficult to be able to tell the difference between an original and a reproduction Depression glass piece. With a little general knowledge on the subject of reproductions, any person should be able to easily discern what is the original and what is the imposter. Following are some key tips to help you separate the real from the fake depression glass.
In general, Depression glass is mostly a lighter weight mold pressed glassware that was made between the 1920s and 1950s. The significant factors in depression glass is that they are a transparent colored glass, they usually have an embossed or raised pattern and they typically will have minute imperfections in the glass.
First, we will examine the colors: Original Depression glass usually has a light transparent coloration, typically green, pink, or blue. These colors, although at times will vary in intensity, should usually be a light color variation. If your piece has deep color tones, or it appears much darker than usual, it may be a sign it is not an original. Typically, reproduction Depression glass is made in China, Taiwan, India, or Mexico, and the color variations are almost always deeper than authentic Depression glass.
Next is to examine the weight of the piece. In the majority of cases, reproduction depression glass will be heavier than authentic Depression glass. The process in which the reproduction is manufactured mainly causes this. In the USA, when Depression glass was originally made, an IS (or injection) machine regulated the amount of glass that was pressed into the molds. This regulation of glass helped the original pieces to maintain a uniform weight over thousands of pieces.
Reproductions typically do not use the same technology and in the majority of cases, the glass is blown into molds either by hand or a non-regulated process. Thereby, making the reproduction pieces heavier, thicker and a wider difference in uniformity as opposed to their authentic counterparts. This is evident in the cases of reproduction tumblers that will have very thick bottoms, or butter dish lids that will be filled in at the lid’s underside.
The final notation to be aware of is the factory imperfections. Although imperfections on original Depression glass is normal, excess or blatant discrepancies are a dead giveaway. An occasional crease in the glass (also called a straw mark), a bubble or two or slight roughness on a seam line (or mold line) is normal in authentic Depression glass. If your piece has excessive bubbles, it is likely not an original, if you find several straw marks or creases, buyers beware! If the seam line or mold line has a lot of roughness, forget it, that piece is most likely, not authentic. The reason is, the USA manufacturers had quality control employees who would reject such pieces. The seam lines were usually cleaned, and excessive imperfections would have been recycled into the glass collet. Typical reproduction factories do not utilize quality control, and allow these excessively imperfect pieces to ship to the USA without inspection.
Use these tips to ensure that when you purchase an antique Depression glass piece, you are actually getting the original. Although there are some reproduction Depression glass pieces that are of a higher quality, in most cases being able to spot these quick differences may save you some grief (and money) later.
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