Depression glass identification: makers, patterns and reproductions

Depression glass is inexpensive, machine-pressed American glassware made from about the 1920s into the 1940s, usually in pink, green, yellow, blue or amber, and often handed out as a premium. Identify it by the pattern first, then check for the signs of mass pressing (mold seams, unpolished rims, small flaws) and compare the color and details with a reference to rule out later reissues.

By the Antique ID team · Updated 2026-10-13

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What counts as Depression glass

The Corning Museum of Glass defines Depression glass as inexpensive, machine-pressed American glassware made between about 1920 and 1950. Its librarians add that it was mass produced, sold cheaply, often given away as gifts, incentives or prizes, frequently shows rough edges or prominent seams, and often imitates more expensive hand-cut or etched crystal. An Illinois State Museum exhibit notes that it was simply called "colored glassware" when new, was sold through mail-order houses and dime stores, and was handed out as premiums at movie theaters and with purchases of soap, flour and other goods.

A paper published by the National Depression Glass Association narrows the core period. Analysing 92 patterns from the seven largest producers, Joyce E. Krupey dates the first, Indiana Glass's Avocado, to 1923 and the last new pattern, Hocking's Sandwich, to 1939. She describes it as the first glassware made entirely by machine, distributed nationally and sold cheaply.

The main makers

"Anchor Hocking" is the name many sellers use, but archaeologists at the Society for Historical Archaeology note that the Hocking Glass Co. of Lancaster, Ohio, only merged with the Anchor Cap & Closure Corp. on December 31, 1937, so most Depression-era patterns were made under the Hocking name.

How to identify a piece

1. Name the pattern. Pattern is everything here. Note the motif (cherries, dogwood, a cameo dancer, cubes), the shape and the exact color, then compare with a pattern reference. Krupey records that most patterns came in three to five colors, while Jeannette's Floral reached nine, including opaque delphite and jade-ite.
2. Check the manufacturing evidence. Pieces came straight from the press and were not polished, so seams, slightly rough rims, small bubbles and uneven pressure are normal. Krupey notes that mold-etched backgrounds, first used on Indiana's Lorain in 1929, were meant to disguise flaws; no new mold-etched patterns appeared after 1934.
3. Look at the color in daylight. Many reproductions are in shades the original maker never produced.
4. Try ultraviolet light, but read it carefully. Some green and yellow glass of the period contains uranium and glows green under a black light; the Oak Ridge Associated Universities museum says UV is the most reliable test for uranium. A glow identifies the colorant, not the age (see uranium glass).

Depression glass versus elegant glass

Collectors separate machine-made Depression glass from the "elegant" glassware of the same decades. Krupey contrasts the typical machine product with Westmoreland's English Hobnail, which was handmade and hand finished, and New Martinsville's Radiance, which was good enough to need no concealing pattern. Hand finishing generally leaves smoother rims and fewer visible flaws than straight-from-the-press Depression glass. Elegant glass is a separate field with its own references.

Reproductions and reissues

Depression patterns have been revived by their original makers' successors and copied by others. An Antique Trader overview lists, among others:

• Cherry Blossom, reproduced by several makers in colors including delphite, cobalt, red and iridized finishes; even the reproductions have been copied.
• Avocado, reissued in 1979 in Indiana's Tiara line in colors such as red, amethyst and frosted pink.
• Madrid, reissued by Indiana Glass as Recollection in colors not made originally.
• Adam, whose butter dish was copied overseas, and Sharon, made privately in 1976 in colors such as dark green and burnt umber.

Krupey adds that Hocking's Sandwich was produced off and on for decades after 1939 and that Iris was made in quantity in crystal and iridescent from the 1950s to the 1970s. Practical checks: compare weight and thickness (many copies are heavier), sharpness of the pattern, exact color, and the shape against a catalog of known original pieces. A piece that looks too perfect deserves a second look.

What drives value

Pattern and color rarity, the specific shape (a rare form in a common pattern can matter more than the pattern), condition of rims and feet, and whether a piece is an original or a later reissue. Chips, cloudiness ("sick" glass) and scratches from use all reduce interest. Common tumblers and plates survive in large numbers.

Next steps

Scan the piece with Antique ID to get a likely pattern, maker and an estimated value range, then confirm the pattern and color in a dedicated Depression glass reference. An estimate is a starting point, not an appraisal; for a rare color or a large set, ask a specialist dealer or appraiser.

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