Dogwood Pink Depression Glass Tumbler

It’s cold outside and spring seems such a long time away.  Let’s cheer ourselves up with a few days of pink.  Pink isn’t just for Valentine’s Day any more.

Today I’m showing off one of our rare pieces of depression glass, the water tumbler in Dogwood depression glass from MacBeth Evans.  Tumblers are always among the more scarce pieces in vintage glassware patterns and Dogwood is no exception.  This one has the design screened on – not flat paint but a raised knobby like decoration.  It’s very pretty and this 12 ounce size is even harder to find than others.

If you like flowers you recognize the four petals as being Dogwood but for some reason this pattern is nicknamed Appleblossom.  Apple blossoms have five petals.  Maybe it’s because the design is just so pretty and feels like spring.

We have a good selection of Dogwood pink depression glass.  I was able to get several pieces from a dealer who was closing down and almost everything is in great shape.  As time passes it’s getting harder to find depression glass in such good shape, so come check us out.

Dogwood Pink Depression Glass Sherbet Macbeth Evans

Last month we shared the Top 10 Reasons to Collect Depression Glass.  OK, so you are convinced, but now what?  How do you start with this fun hobby?  There are so many patterns and pieces to choose among that it’s easy to get lost trying to decide which one is for you.

My advice?  Start with a book or a blog like mine or browse a website such as our eBay store, www.Catladykate.com or larger site www.CatladykatesGlass.com and see what appeals to you. Don’t worry if you can’t make up your mind just yet.

Go ahead and pick a couple pieces, maybe in different patterns or colors. You can find glass that won’t break your budget and I’m always glad to help you with shipping cost by packing glass together. Or if you find a piece you like, go ahead and email and ask about it.

The main factor is whether you like the pattern and color, but also consider how many pieces a pattern was made in, the overall price range, durability and whether it’s plentiful enough that you can realistically find something when you shop.   Depression glass that came in a wide range of pieces will be more fun to collect than one where you have only a few shapes to pick up.  The wide selection sometimes means you have more than one size of a tumbler or a serving bowl available to you.

The pattern we show here, Dogwood in pink, is a great choice.  It is very pretty (as you can see from the sherbet); there are many pieces available including tumblers and serving pieces.  MacBeth Evans made Dogwood and it is pretty durable, just like their American Sweetheart and the shapes are not prone to nicks.  It is priced in the higher medium range.  It’s about even with American Sweetheart, more than Block Optic, but well under some of the higher priced elegant patterns or hard to find depression sets.  Oddly enough the sherbet is rather expensive.  The sherbets are usually pretty inexpensive in most depression glass, in the $5-25 range, but the Dogwood pink one retails for about $40.  Cups are about $15 and serving bowls are $60, so it is affordable.  It is also available, always good.

Even if you are not sure, there are ways to reduce your risk.  If you get a few pieces in Dogwood, like the one shown here, then decide you don’t like it, you can probably sell it and move on to the next pattern.  It’s hard to sell glass well online, like on eBay, but often you can do well at garage sales if you advertise your pattern.  While I would not advise collecting depression glass to fund your retirement, you generally are going to do OK as long as you buy quality pieces in good condition.

Regardless of pattern you choose, the main thing is to start!

Let’s talk about sherbets and champagnes and champagne sherbets.  You’ve noticed that there seem to be a zillion names for different shapes of goblets – wines, waters, goblets, ice tea, so on – and you’ve probably seen several shapes  called “sherbets”.

Fostoria Glass Navarre Etched Crystal Tall Champagne Sherbet Stemware

A sherbet is basically something to hold a small dish of ice cream, or for the purist, sherbet.  You would think an ice cream dish would look like the pink Dogwood sherbet shown below, hmm?

MacBeth Evans Dogwood Pink Depression Glass Sherbet

The goblet-y looking glass on the left is also a sherbet, this time from Fostoria.  It looks like a cocktail glass or a small wine goblet, not a dish you would eat ice cream from.  Fostoria referred to this size as a champagne sherbet, to be precise, the tall champagne sherbet.  That’s because they did not make this pattern in a champagne flute nor in a full saucer shape and this melds the best of a traditional sherbet with a saucer champagne.

The exact stemware name would depend on what the manufacturer called the item.  We’re stuck with Fostoria’s name but there is no reason  you have to limit yourself to using this with sherbet or champagne.  It’s a super size for a cocktail and this looks stunning holding a melon cup or strawberries.

Don’t let the book terms box you in.  With your imagination there is no limit to how you can enjoy your glass!

MacBeth Evans Dogwood Pink Depression Glass Sherbet

Doesn’t this look like one of the beautiful brocade etched elegant glass patterns?  It is Dogwood depression glass from MacBeth Evans Glass.  Depression glass was mass produced during the late 1920s through the 1930s and was inexpensive, sometimes even given away as premiums.  People could go to the movies – and spend a nickel for a whole afternoon’s entertainment with two features, cartoons and a newsreel – and get a piece of glass dinnerware as a freebie.  Or they could buy a big box of oatmeal and get a piece.  

Companies could make the glass so cheaply because the molds were etched, not the individual pieces.  That meant the molds were costly but could be used over and over to produce thousands of pieces.  (During World War II many molds were melted down for the metal.)  

Dogwood was made mainly in pink and in green, with small amounts of yellow, clear and monax white.   You can see that it is a pretty pattern and it feels as interesting as it looks.  Most of the dogwood pieces are fairly thin glass.   The rim on this sherbet is slightly scalloped, which adds just an extra bit of style.

We have a nice variety of Dogwood available at both our stores, Vintage Elegant Depression glass, www.catladykate.com and Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant Depression Glass, www.CatladykatesGlass.com.