Federal Georgian Lovebirds Depression Glass Fun to Collect

Federal made Georgian from 1931 to 1936 so it is one of their earlier depression patterns. Other companies made patterns called "Georgian" which are heavier pressed patterns, usually with hexagonal shapes. You'll want to check photos before buying.

Federal made a lot of green and amber depression glass, with some crystal (clear), pink and blue. Georgian came almost exclusively in green although my reference books mention some crystal and amber. We have several pieces of green Georgian Lovebirds in our stores www.CatladykatesGlass.com and www.Catladykate.com

Georgian's design is wonderful, with rounded triangle cartouches that frame pairs of birds alternating with baskets. The pairs of birds give this pattern its nickname "Lovebirds". The triangles are connected by swags of leaves and the center of each piece has an elaborate medallion design.

This glass is mold-etched. That means the mold was etched with the design and the glass was then pressed. The design is recessed on the mold so the pattern is raised on the surface of the glass. Mold etching was an innovative method to mass produce large quantities of glass with intricate patterns without the expense and hand labor of individually etched pieces.

Federal made Georgian in a complete dinner set, with tumblers, serving bowls, plates, platters, cups and small bowls. There are two sizes of tumblers and you will need to budget to get a full set as these range in the $50-130 each in today's market.

Other choice pieces include the butter dish with lid, hot plate and a cold cuts server. The cold cuts server is a wooden lazy susan with seven hot plates sunk into round recesses. Interestingly, there is no pitcher, candleholder, salt and pepper shaker, stemware or vase in Georgian.

In general though, Georgian is a mid-priced depression glass pattern. Cups and sherbets, for example, are in the $10-18 range, while dinner plates like the one shown below are $35-70, serving bowls about $70. Since people broke tumblers more than most pieces, drinking glasses are pricey pieces in most patterns.

When you buy Georgian there aren't any spots that you need to be especially wary of, just be sure to check carefully for wear on the surface or nicks on the rim. Georgian plates and rimmed pieces are round and don't have protruding points or sharp edges that are likely to chip. You should check the rims on the plates to be sure they don't have rough spots, but this design has more a sloped rim that is less prone to roughness than designs with a sharply defined inner rim.

Federal made another pattern with parrots, called Parrot, but you should not have any problems distinguishing Parrots from Georgian. The Parrot pattern lacks the baskets, the birds are larger and the pieces were square while Georgian pieces are round. Indiana's Lorain pattern also has baskets with swags, but it does not have the birds and the pieces are square and often have rough seams and inner rim roughness. You won't have a problem telling Georgian apart!

We have quite a few pieces of Federal Georgian Lovebirds depression glass in our store www.Catladykate'sGlass.com and on eBay at www.catladykate.com.