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How to Identify Green Depression Glass

Depression glass is so called because much of it was made during the 1930s Great Depression. Firms such as the U.S. Glass Co. cheaply mass produced it in green, blue and pink, and businesses often used it as a give-away to tempt hard-pressed consumers into buying a certain brand of soap or gasoline. Over the decades, its durable and unpretentious nature has attracted a loyal following among collectors.

Instructions

- 1
  Hold the item to the light and look for an apple-green color with a high degree of transparency. Opaque items with a significant tinge of yellow are more likely to be Vaseline glass, with which depression glass is frequently confused.
- 2
  Examine the item to ascertain whether it is a piece of pressed rather than hand-blown glass. Machine-made by forcing molten glass into molds, depression glass should have an impressed mark on the base and a rounded rim.
- 3
  Consider the function of the piece. Depression glass was generally made into utilitarian items such as pitchers, tea sets, jelly molds, dessert bowls and covered cake dishes. If a piece is primarily ornamental -- it's a figurine, for instance -- it isn't depression glass.
- 4
  Run your fingers over the decoration. Because it was made in a mold, you should not feel any sharp corners, even on angular designs. Beading, ribbing and floral swirls are all commonly found on depression glass.

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