June 17th, 2010 @ Kathy // 2 Comments

Jeannette’s Cherry Blossom pink depression glass is exceptionally pretty with the entrancing design of blossoms, leaves and cherries dangling from a stem. Sadly this popular pattern attracted unscrupulous reproductions in the early 1970s.

So what’s a collector to do?  You want to protect yourself, but how?

You can spot most repro pieces pretty easily.  I was unsure I’d be able to recognize them from book descriptions, but last week when I went antiquing we found several cup and saucer sets that were obvious reproductions.

The repros didn’t feel quite right, true, but if you haven’t seen the real thing it’s not much use to tell you “it’s different”.  The biggest difference in the cups were the flower and leaf pattern elements on the side panels were further apart and looked unconnected.  The cherry leaves were crude and the bottom only partly designed.

Saucers also had poorly done, crude designs.

The cup shown here is the real thing.  The design is tight with little bare space between the leaves and flowers on the sides and the base has realistic looking cherries and leaves.

Gene Florence covers repros in his depression glass encyclopedias and collector’s guides.  It’s hard to feel confident just based on books but your best bet is to spend time reading and looking at pictures and getting familiar with your pattern.

It was a relief to find that yes, I can spot repros!

Shopping information:  We carry Cherry Blossom depression glass in our store Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass.   You may find Gene Florence’s books at your library and they are available from Amazon.   Here is a link to the most recent edition on Amazon:   Collector s Encyclopedia of Depression Glass,19th Edition (Collector’s Encyclopedia of Depression Glass)

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Tags: Cherry Blossom Pink Glass, Collecting Depression Glass, Depression Glass, Fakes and Reproductions, Jeannette Depression Glass, Pink Depression Glass