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Vintage and Antique Glass Collectibles Information

Glass Collectibles includes vintage glass from the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries, primarily made by Canadian Glass and US Glass companies.  At The Glass Menagerie, we specialize in Utilitarian Glass, Household Table and Decor Glass,  Pressed and patterned glass to Fine Blown Glass and Engraved Crystal.  We carry vases, bowls, goblets, decanters, candlesticks, spooners, pedestal cake stands, celery vases, bells, lamps, etc.  Collecting early hand-made glass in good condition whether for display or home use is becoming more difficult as time goes on.   Glass is always available but today, it is usually completely machine made, unlike the speciality glass made by skilled craftsmen in our collections, a remembrance of our ancestors time and way of life. 

 Ale & Wine Glass pre-1900 is a collection of early glass from North American and European countries.   Each piece has a unique purpose and style, each was completely hand made through the art of mouth blown or blow-mold production.   Each has unique characteristics such as separate applied stems and bases and many were hand engraved  by spinning copper wheel or ground into shape by hand with special grinders.  All pieces are in excellent condition without damage or serious wear.  Most of this collection is 18^th and 19^th Century and becoming very rare for collectors.  The glass of this period was mainly clear or crystal as creating colored glass was still being perfected.  Therefore, colored glass of this period is even more rare.

Early Patterned & Pressed Glass 1875 –1925 -is primarily North American Canadian and American glass produced after the 1^st World’s Fair in 1851 and just before the Great Depression of 1929 to 1939.  This glass became the standard household product, was heavier and more substantial than the delicate blown glass and there were thousands of patterns simulating the finest cut glass patterns available at a fraction of the cost to produce and own.   For collectors, finding this glass in pristine condition can be difficult as it was the most used of all the glass.  The picture above is an example of American Early Pressed Glass with a Ruby Stain.

Patterned & Pressed Glass 1940 - 1990 follows the Depression Era and covers the balance of interesting mold-pressed glass of the last Century.  Made primarily by North American Glass companies such as Imperial Glass, Indiana Glass, Federal Glass, Anchor Hocking Glass, Jeannette Glass, Dominion Glass, Fostoria Glass, Fenton Glass, Westmoreland Glass, just to name a few are represented here with original glass in pristine condition.  Many of these companies are no longer in production and their molds were purchased by present day companies such as Lancaster Colony.  Pressed glass from the 1940's and certainly up to the 1970's represented the last period of production using a combination of machine and hands-on finishing.  The glass was more refined and imitated the finest blown goblets along with everyday tableware.   This section covers patterned pressed glass that has been discontinued.  

Brilliant Cut Period Glass 1880-1915 also known as Rich Cut glass referred to high grade crystal cut in elaborate designs, some in all-over patterns with a specially designed wheel.    The degree of talent and many hours needed to produce these items made them expensive during their time and even more so today.  Famous North American companies included Dorflinger, Hawkes, Libbey, Tuthill, Roden, Gundy-Clapperton, Birks, Lakefield, etc.

Depression Period Glass – 1929 – 1939 – has a link button on our web site specifically for this period of glass produced during the Great Depression and leading up to the Second World War. Please click on the link in the pink column to the left.

 Brilliant Cut Glass

 1880 -1915