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How to Tell if Sandwich Glass Is Genuine

Sandwich glass refers to glass items issued during the Depression that were commonly made by companies such as Indiana Glass and the Boston Sandwich Company. The glass is often colored, such as gold, blue, red or green, and decorated with etchings of grapes, bubbles or other images. It can be difficult to distinguish between sandwich glass and reproductions, but there are a few tricks to identifying genuine items.

Instructions

- 1
  Look for markings by companies that made Depression-era sandwich glass, including Indiana Glass, Tiara Exclusives, Anchor Hocking and Duncan Miller. View online images and markings at websites such as Forest Creek Gallery (see Resources).
- 2
  Look for curvy flowers with lines inside the petals and swirls on the glass with a V-shaped center. The swirl is bigger at the top than at the bottom. These are indicative of sandwich glass items made by the Anchor Hocking Company.
- 3
  Watch for flowers that are less curvy and do not have lines on the inside, as well as M-shaped swirls that are bigger at the bottom. These are indicative of Indiana Glass and Tiara Exclusives items.
- 4
  Look for heart patterns, which was a very common design on sandwich glass. The heart pattern may be intertwined with a honeycomb pattern.
- 5
  Identify early sandwich glass by a lacy pattern and a silvery sheen to the glass. The lace pattern was the first design on sandwich glass, which eventually evolved to include other designs, such as hearts, honeycomb and intersecting diamonds.
- 6
  Look at images of genuine sandwich glass items online to correctly identify the appearance and pattern of sandwich glass. A few websites include Tias and Depression Glass Antiques (see Resources).

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