EARLY AMERICAN PRESSED OR PATTERN GLASS

In the early 1800's until the time of the Great Depression, people of wealth commonly used expensive cut glass and crystal.  Indeed, folks used as much glass ware as possible, to hold forks, knives, spoons and iced tea spoons, pickles and butter and finger washing and salt.   Every type of berry had it's own special dish.  As well as glasses for water, wine, cordials, whiskey and brandy.  You get the picture.

Lesser folks had to make do.  To appeal to people without money to burn, the glass makers came up with "Early American Pattern (or Pressed) Glass".  To copy the expensive cut crystal, glass makers came up with molds into which they pressed the glass.  The Boston and Sandwich Glass Company patented first pressing machine in 1928. The glass was blown into the mold and pressed into the sides to create the pattern.  The mold was then separated and the glass touched up.  Presto, pressed or pattern glass.

Many good books are available on this subject to help identify who made what.  There are many famous glass makers.  Westmoreland, George Duncan and Sons, U.S. Glass Co., Boston and Sandwich Glass Co. Most were in the northeast.   I won't try to cover all that here. 

One design, Daisy and Button was made by Bryce Brothers, Doyle and Co., Hobbs, Brockunier and Co., George Duncan and Sons, Boston and Sandwich Glass Co., Beatty and Sons and U.S. Glass Co.  Reproductions were made since the early 1930's by several companies including L.G.Wright, Imperial Glass Co, Fenton Art Glass Co., and Degenhart Glass Co.  As you can see it's hard to tell the players without a program..

Thin, pale colored glass is primarily from the Depression Era hence the name. 

Heavy, rainbow colored glass is often called Carnival glass because you could get it for pennies at the carnival.

These are NOT Early American Pressed Glass, they are much more recent, early ninteen hundreds as opposed to eighteen hundreds. Yes, they are pressed glass but a different animal.  

Pressed or pattern glass companies mostly went out of business or switched gears at the time of the depression. 

Some of the more popular patterns are a hunt scene called Westward Ho, Strawberries twined with grapes, Thistles, various Diamond patterns, Hobnail which is round raised dots all over the glass, Stars and coins which is stars of course and round indented dots which have the effect of reflecting other stars.  This is a very striking pattern.  There are patterns named after all the states that existed then.  Literally over a hundred.

One thing to look for is the pattern should be very sharp, it is imitating cut glass.  Many of the popular patterns are reproduced and the only way to know for sure is to check some of the many reference books.  I have two of the original Westward Ho goblets and one reproduction.  The easiest way to tell the difference is, aside from the raised mold lines, the deer's mouth is open on the reproduction.

Two good reference books are "The Collector's Guide to American Pressed Glass 1825-1915" by Kyle Husfloen and "Warman's Pattern Glass".

I have had several people write to me and say that the mold marks don't mean anything or the number of marks is insignificant.  I have to disagree.  If you are interested in QUALITY the mold marks will have been smoothed to some extent and not stand out.  Rembember these are to imitate cut glass.  The only pieces I have on which you can feel the mold marks are thirties reproductions of older popular pieces, of which I have two.  I have been told a person has a piece of EAPG flint glass with two mold marks.  I think the person is in error and has a reproduction.  I keep a piece of Westward Ho reproduction to remind myself of the correct feel and mold marks and the wrong ones.

Bottles indeed have only two mold marks, the more complicated patterns like goblets and bowls will have three and four molds.

I have been reprimanded for saying carnival glass is not EAPG.  I disagree.  Carnival glass is another animal altogether and is not the elegant pressed glass that is imitating cut crystal.  The EAPG period began in the early eighteen hundreds and ended in 1915.  Just because carnival glass was made in the late years of pressed glass does not mean it is of the same level of quality.  Early American Pressed Glass means just that, just because there is some overlap in the later years of production does not mean that Carnival glass is EAPG.  It's not, it's carnival glass.  Just as depression glass is another animal altogether.