The World of Glass Reproductions

Is it new or is it old? A question we ask ourselves when looking at items in stores, shops and online.

The only way we can avoid being taken by these "wanna be's" is to arm ourselves with knowledge on who is making them, what they look like and where to find them.

There are thousands of reproductions being imported from other countries daily. Most are fed thru your local household auctions. Some of them are poor examples of the real thing, however some are pretty good.

There is nothing wrong with a reproduction as long as it is being sold as such. Below are listings of known reproductions, books on reproductions and links to view reproductions on the Internet. We suggest you spend a little time viewing the sites below. It will help you the next time you come across one.

Thanks go out to many of you who helped us put this page together. If you know of a good online source for reproduction information, have book recommendations, or know of new items on the market, please EMAIL US.

Below are a few sites that sell reproduction French cameo glass and or Tiffany style lamps. These are not sold as authentic but give you a good look at what someone might buy to try to sell to you as authentic.

Often times, Orient and Flume, Lundberg and Phoenix Studios glass is purchased, the names buffed off and added to them are L.C.T. signatures, and or reproduction paper labels. Visit any of the above sites on the Internet, and order a catalog to make yourself aware of their style of glass.

For many years Depression Glass has been reproduced by firms from all over. Below is a list of patterns and shapes we know to be reproduced. If you know of others to add to this list, please let us know.

Butter Dish--Pink, Green Repro: veins in the leaves on lid do not join or touch in center of leaf, Bottom: On the old, large leaves point to center of each side (North, South, East, West) On the repro, they point off center (northeast, etc) Very poor mold on both top and bottom.

Avocado was originally made in pink, green and crystal: white pitcher & tumbler sets that were made by Indiana in the 1950's. Yellow, red, blue, amethyst and frosted colors are all reproductions made by Tiara from 1974 through the 1980's. Pink and green were also made by Tiara but are different from the original colors as follows: New pink has an orange tint rather than the soft pink of the old color. New green is darker than the original.

BALTIMORE PEAR

Shakers have been made in green, pink and cobalt. Pattern is weak, too much glass in the bottom of shaker, cobalt was never originally made. Above the foot is filled in with about 1/4"-1/2" of glass. Mosser Company has made a line of children's miniature sets (called 'The Jennifer Line') with the Cameo pattern. As children's dishes were never made, these miniatures pose no problem.

The following pieces have been reproduced in any or all of these colors: pink, green, light blue, delphite, cobalt, red and iridized colors. As pink, delphite and green are the only original colors made, they are the ones that pose problems. Round 2 handled tray footed cake plate 8 1/2 inch bowl cereal bowl dinner plate cup & saucer shakers Children's sets Scalloped bottom pitcher, All Over Pattern 13 inch divided platter footed tumbler butter dish & cover In general, repro pieces are badly molded. The pattern is crudely done, with branches and leaves lacking texture (leaf edges are straight instead of serrated, no bark on branches) and the flowers not as detailed. Pieces tend to be heavier than the originals, with crooked handles and off set mold lines. For specifics on each piece, check your Florence Depression Glass encyclopedia.
** Update. Mail order catalogs now showing pink plates that are 9" diameter in sets of 4 for $29.95

Shakers are found in cobalt, red and a dark green color, none of which were originally made. There is also a pink reproduction that is very close to the original. New shaker have a continuous thread where the top screws on: old shakers have a pair of threads that end before the mold seam on the side. Also, the pattern is molded on top of the base on new shakers and underneath on the old - so you must turn them over to see the pattern on the base.

Shakers have been found in pink, red, and cobalt. The pattern is very badly done, red & cobalt are not original colors.

Pitcher & tumbler sets in red, dark green, cobalt, and two different pinks have been made. None of these colors were originally made.

The reproduction Iris & Herringbone, 6", Crystal, Water Tumblers, and the originals are both the exact same size. They both have the smooth rays on the foot. Although the repro's ray edges may be just slightly sharper than on the originals, but it's probably way too close for the novice collector to tell the difference. The Herringbone pattern is one key. It's not even near as clear, sharp and vivid as on the originals. But still close enough to fool even a good eye.

Now...just like on the 6 1/2" Ice Tea Tumbler, one quick way to tell the difference is, flip your tumbler upside down. Can you see the "Mold" line at all on the foot? On the originals, the "Mold" line is "Very" visible when you look at it from this perspective. However, with the reproduction tumbler, if you have a VERY good eye and or an magnifying glass, you might could see the "Mold" line when looking at it from the bottom side. If you have to look that hard to see it, it's probably an reproduction.

One other way to tell is, on the original 6" Water Tumbler, just like on the original 6 1/2" Ice Tea Tumbler, there are (4) sides to each of these tumblers. Let me explain. There are (4) Iris Flower designs. The two opposite each other should be exactly the same identical design, matching each other perfectly. If there's any difference at all, then it's probably an reproduction.

You can't tell the difference between the two by feeling the hole in the bottom of the tumbler foot. They both have the exact same type and style of hole in them both, with the exact same number of rays on the foot as well.

One sure fire way to tell if your 6" Water Tumbler is the "Real Deal" or not is, just to the right of the Iris flower design, you have a very long stem, kind of thick one, coming from the bottom of the tumbler to the top edge of the flower on the right side of the flower, curving slightly to the left at the top as it ends. It has been crossed, or X 'ed towards the top of the stem, with a partial stem. If you turn the tumbler to the exact opposite side it should match exactly. If it doesn't and it's only half X'ed, or not X'ed at all, it's an reproduction. The opposing sides will not match this side, the pattern is different, but should match each other exactly perfectly as well.

In the 1950's, the footed sherbet with an open lace edge was produced in milk glass and avocado for use as a florist bowl - colors never made during the depression. These were probably made by Anchor Hocking instead of Indiana - who produced Lorain originally - as some have been found with Hocking's paper labels.

In 1976, Federal reissued this pattern for the Bicentennial under the name "Recollection". Pieces were made in amber, but marked with a 76 in the design to distinguish old from new. Indiana Glass bought the molds when Federal closed, removed the 76 and made crystal. Since then, pieces have been made in blue, pink and a light 'coke bottle green-blue' color. The new blue is brighter than the original color, the new pink is too light. Many pieces have been made, some by combining two old items into a new one: the candlestick on a 10 inch plate became the pedestal cake stand; a tumbler on the candlestick base is sold as a hurricane lamp/vase, and the butter dish on the candlestick makes the footed candy dish. Reproductions of old pieces tend to be too heavy, the wrong color and sloppily molded. Study your depression glass encyclopedia so you know what's original and what's not.

Similar to Manhattan, Anchor Hocking produced 'Park Avenue' from 1987-93 and then again in the late 1990's in crystal and light 'sapphire blue.' Light blue was never made, and shapes were changed so as to maintain the integrity of the original crystal pieces. If you find something that's not listed in the Depression glass encyclopedias, it's part of the Park Avenue line NOT Manhattan.

Cookie jars, shot glasses, small juice pitchers and salt/pepper shakers have been reproduced in pink (more orange than the original, green (both too dark and the wrong shade), cobalt, amethyst, red, amberina, and pink slag. The pattern is very weak on all items; pitcher and cookie bottoms lack the circular mold mark on the bottom, the shots have too much glass in the bottom.

Reproduced in pink, green( wrong shade) red amberina, cobalt, crystal and ice blue as follows: Repro flat tumblers have 2 mold seams instead of 4. Repro pitchers are missing the ice lip and the 'hump' in the top edge that old pitchers have by the handle to help grasp when pouring. New shakers are 3 1/4 inch tall and have too much glass on the inside - old are 3 3/8 inch tall and fill all the way to the bottom with salt. New butter dishes have a lump of glass sticking out (convex) under the knob; old are concave (curved in).

Indiana reissued the diamond shaped comport and the 7 inch bowl in pink, cobalt, avocado, and crystal with sprayed on colors. Only crystal was originally made so the other colors are no problem. Both items tend to be roughly molded and heavier than the originals. The new 7 inch bowls also have smooth rims instead of the wavy rim that the old bowls have.

Candy jars and shakers have shown up in cobalt, amber, light blue, pink and green. Both are poor quality, badly molded with bubbles and a greasy feel to the glass. The colors are wrong and some are marked 'China' with a paper label.

In 1974-5, Indiana produced the berry bowl, 4 part relish, and tumbler, in blue and black as part of their Tiara line. These colors were never made originally.

The cookie jar, juice and water tumbler have been reproduced in cobalt blue. Cookie jar: The mold is very poor, with lots of bubbles in the glass and a very weak pattern. Old lids should have a mod seam running across the knob (divides the lid into 2 halves.) New ones are missing this seam. Tumblers: Some are missing the design in the base. Thicker glass and shorter than the originals with too much glass in the bottom of the tumbler.

Reproduction items in pink, dark green, blue, light green, opalescent blue, red and dark amber have shown up. Butter dish, covered candy, cheese dish, sugar & creamer, salt & pepper all have been made and can be found with "Made in Taiwan" labels. As only amber, pink and light green are original colors, they are the only ones to pose a problem for collectors. New Sharon is poorly molded, too thick with a greasy feel and lots of bubbles in the glass. The knobs on the butter, cheese and candy lids are too high - look stretched instead of the squat, hard to grasp older pieces. The pattern on the shakers does not look like roses; instead it looks like a pinwheel. The sugar & creamer are too light and of such bad quality that they are obviously new.

Anchor Hocking reissued the 8 inch and 4 1/2 inch bowls in Ruby. Most are marked with the Anchor trademark. Hocking has also produced the ashtray, punch cups and some vases recently - all marked with the Anchor trademark.

Charm Reissue: Charm was originally made by Anchor Hocking from 1950 to 1954. Complete settings - all 11 pieces - could be purchased in jadite(opaque green), Azurite(opaque blue), and Forest Green. A 5 piece luncheon service that included the cup, saucer, 8 3/8 inch plate, 4 3/4 inch bowl and 7 3/8 inch bowl was also produced in Royal Ruby during this time. Occasionally, a piece of Charm will turn up in white or ivory but, as these colors were not part of the normal production, they remain oddities to highlight collections of the other colors.

Charm's square shape is very popular with today's collectors. So great is the demand for the original issue, that Anchor Hocking has brought the Charm shape back for the new millennium with the name "Union Square Contemporary Glass Service." Touted as "an updated version of a design from the 1950's to bring style to your table," Hocking has brought back this popular pattern. But collectors have no need to fear being taken by repros pretending to be the real thing: Union Square is only available in crystal(clear glass), a color that was not produced in the 1950's. Five items are currently being sold: three sizes of bowls(4 3/4", 6" and 8 3/4") a 9 inch plate and a 12 inch square platter. These new items are slightly larger than the comparable original issue pieces, and the square platter is an item that is completely new to the 'Charm' line. In the past, Hocking has maintained the integrity of their older glass when they re-introduce patterns from the past. Hopefully, they will continue this practice of 'responsible reproduction' with Union Square and stay away from the original colors if they expand the line.

EARLY AMERICAN PRESCUT

A powder jars with lid in two sizes - 4 inch and 5 inch - have turned up. This item was never made by Anchor Hocking, and they are marked "Italy" in the glass on both top and bottom

The hexagonal creamer & sugar and the oval pickle dish are being made by Brooke Glass and marked with a circular Westmoreland Glass mark. They are of very poor quality when compared to the original. The small footed nut cups are also found in many colors, some marked with an "S", and are again not the quality of Westmoreland originals.

Both the large and small berry bowls have been reproduced for McCrory's in amber, crystal, and an avocado-ish green. Marked with MC in the center, they are of very poor quality and mold and are easy to spot.

Both Martha Stewart and Cracker Barrel Stores have their own lines of jadite glass - some marked, some not. Buy from someone you trust and study your books so you know what was originally made!

A cup and saucer/plate (no cup ring) have turned up in a translucent green that is supposed to look like jadite. The color is too light and nothing like Fire King jadite. Both pieces are marked with a diamond shape, and the numbers 402 and 4 on the bottom.

Summit Art Glass is producing the large canister in an orange slag - never originally made by Westmoreland - and milk glass. They do have the WG mark on both top and bottom, but the mold is very poor on the milk glass and easy to spot.

The cookie jar in crystal has been recently reproduced. These are sold in catalogs with nut/candy assortments, especially around the holidays. The repro jar is larger than the original - 10 1/4 inches tall, 5 1/2 inch opening and 22 inch diameter at the widest part of the jar. The old cookie jar is 9 1/4 inches tall, 4 7/8 inch at the opening and 19 inches in diameter at the widest part. Those extra inches make the new jars seem huge.

Indiana reissued their Sandwich pattern as part of the Tiara Line. Tiara Exclusives was sold at home parties and touted as 'Tomorrow's Collectible Glass - made from original molds.' This basically means that they made new glass using old molds, NOT that the glass was old. Amber, crystal, smoky blue, teal, Chantilly green, milk, and red were all produced. Most of the crystal and all the amber you find today will have been made since 1970, but that's already 30 years ago, so....