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Colorful Depression Glass

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Depression Glass

Depression glass consists of colorful pieces of glassware made during the 1920s and into the 1930s. It is the period during which it was made, the period that included the Great Depression, that gave it the name depression glass. The Great Depression was an economically difficult time, so the idea that depression glass was given away made it immediately acceptable.

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Table of Contents

  1. Pass it on!
  2. Pink Depression Glass
  3. What Gives Depression Glass Its Color?
  4. Yellow Depression Glass
  5. Depression Glass
  6. Green Depression Glass
  7. Depression Glass Video
  8. Red Depression Glass
  9. Not All Colored Glass Is Depression Glass
  10. Clear Depression Glass
  11. Black Spaniel Gallery
  12. Are you a collector?
  13. Have you been to a show?
  14. Do you like depression glass?
  15. Quiz A
  16. Quiz B
  17. Quiz C
  18. Quiz D
  19. Quiz E
  20. Quiz F
  21. Quiz G
  22. Quiz H
  23. Quiz I
  24. Quiz J
  25. Pleae tell us what you think. Comment on the lens, or on your collection.
  26. Please visit our other lenses.

Pink Depression Glass

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What Gives Depression Glass Its Color?

The color of depression glass is due to scattering of light, the same thing that makes the sky blue. The glass contains a small percentage of atoms that are added, and it is these atoms that scatter the light. Atoms of different elements scatter different colors, so the color is determined by what is added to the glass.

Unfortunately, one atom used was uranium. So, some depression glass is slightly radioactive. But radioactivity is always present, since high energy particles from the sun produce a certain background level of radiation. The small amount of radioactivity in pieces containing uranium is not considered high enough to have them removed and destroied.

Yellow Depression Glass

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Depression Glass

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Green Depression Glass

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Depression Glass Video

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Red Depression Glass

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Not All Colored Glass Is Depression Glass

Just because it is colored does not make it depression glass. Depression glass was made by certain companies, and lists exist of the patterns and colors each produced. Be careful to determine the glass is an authentic piece. It is strongly recommended that in collecting depression glass, as with other collections, that an authoritative resource be consulted until you yourself become an expert. Books, and now DVDs, provide such a resource, but first ask other collectors who is the authority. Anyone can publish a book. You want the one written by an authority in the field. But even then you must also make certain there are many photographs. Words alone just are not enough.

Clear Depression Glass

Not all depression glass has a color.
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Black Spaniel Gallery

Are you a collector?

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Have you been to a show?

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Do you like depression glass?

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Quiz A

Quiz B

Quiz C

Quiz D

Quiz E

Quiz F

Quiz G

Quiz H

Quiz I

Quiz J

Pleae tell us what you think. Comment on the lens, or on your collection.

  • Tipi Apr 25, 2012 @ 7:50 pm | delete
    I used to use a dinner set of fake depression glass and loved it.
  • JoshK47 Jan 29, 2012 @ 11:02 am | delete
    Quite an excellent lens, learned a lot here. Thanks for sharing. Blessed by a SquidAngel!
  • Inkhand Jan 9, 2012 @ 4:14 am | delete
    A great lens about depression glass. I never knew that some pieces of depression glass can be slightly radioactive.
  • sousababy Dec 24, 2011 @ 1:21 pm | delete
    My grandmother seemed to have a lot of the green depression glass (very thick and sturdy too).
  • lollyj Aug 13, 2011 @ 12:42 pm | delete
    I have some lovely depression glass wine goblets.
    If things continue as they have been economically, maybe businesses will have to give depression glass pieces again.
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blackspanielgallery

Hello world. This is my bio. Actually, there are two of us, Henry (father) and Mark (son). We have been on eBay as coin sellers for some time, and we... more »

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