At the time of introduction in late 1907 the
At the time of introduction in late 1907 the carnival glass was called as Iridescent Ware. However, people started using the name carnival glass only after collectors in the 1950s began to refer to it as such. This innovative glassware made in highly patterned moulds had a vivid metallic sheen of changing hues on pressed glass articles. Iridescent Ware got the metallic sheen from a special spray of metallic salts on the glass while it was very hot.
Made as both functional and ornamental objects and found in a wide array of colors, carnival glass is an inexpensive pressed glass, often called dope glass by glass factory workers because of the process of applying the iridescent coloring, which is known as doping. Its production can be traced back to as early as 1907, with many, many different pieces in over 150 distinct patterns. It did not, however, command the expected prices, and was subsequently discounted heavily.
This glass is available in many translucent colors like primarily amethyst, marigold, coblat, green and red. It is also made in opaque white which is also referred to as milk glass. This glass was also availale in semi-transparent or translucent pale green and was named as Vaseline or uranium glass before the harmful effects of radiation were known. Vaseline glass and uranium glass have small amount of uranium salts which make faint green glass glow on reaction with UV light.
Among the greatest producers of this type of glass was Millersburg glass Company in Ohio. The first glass products by that company were crystal however the Millersburg plant decided to follow success for iridescent glassware. So in the beginning of 1910 the Millersburg Company started its line of Radium glasswares
Carnival glass is a collector’s item. Prices of these glasses vary wildly from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. Carnival glass has become antique glass collectible and there is a good active market for it.
It is very hard to identify carnival glass. Most of the time, the makers didn’t mark their work, others only marked them part of the time. To figure out who made the glass one has to match, patterns, colors, sheen, edges, thickness and some other factures from old trade catalogs, examples of prior work or a reference material. Many manufacturers made dlose copies of rivals popular works to. So even for an experienced expert this is a hard task.
At the time of introduction in late 1907 this
collector’s item glass was called as Iridescent Ware. The prices of this glass vary widely depending on their quality and availability. This glass is a highly collectible item with some of the pieces worth very little, while other, rarer items command thousands of dollars. There is a very active market for this item since it has become an antique glass collectible. Among the greatest producers of this type of glass was millersburg glass in Ohio. It is very hard to identify these products, because the makers didn’t consistently mark their work.
