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Instructions
Count the mold seams. You will find that American Fostoria pieces will have three mold seams or more. The only exceptions to this rule are plates, the spun glass punch bowls, the twin salt dip, the glass handled cake plate and the banana splits. Whitehall pieces, for instance, have a simpler design but only have two mold seams.
Check the profile. The profile of a real American Fostoria piece is going to have a strong curve and a flared top. You will find that pieces from Whitehall tend to have a steeper side that has little to no flare at all at the top
Examine the toes on the footed pieces. Fruit bowls and candy bowls made in the American Fostoria line will have feet with flat vertical sides. The front and the back will have gentle S-shapes to them. Compare this to the Whitehall pieces that have feet that are shaped more like pegs.
Look at the bottom. When you are looking at an American Fostoria piece, you will have a perfectly flat bottom that has been ground down. When you are looking at pieces from other manufacturers, there is a good chance that the bottom has been pressed flat instead.
Hold the piece up to the light. You will notice that American Fostoria pieces have an exceptional clarity thanks to Fostoria's fire-polishing procedure. Compare this to other pieces that have a wavy surface and a cloudy finish.
Turn your black light onto the glass. A crystal piece from the American Fostoria line will glow a pale yellow when it is hit with a black light in a darkened room. This is the test used by experts when there is a question about manufacturer of a piece of glass.