Fostoria Glass June Etched Topaz Yellow 2-Handled Bowl

We all like to buy memorable wedding gifts, something to help the new couple build their lives together.  But it’s hard to do.  Vintage glass is a perfect way to add a connection to the past, give something unique that the couple can treasure.

When you give vintage glass you give instant connection to the past that give newlyweds a foundation to establish their own family traditions.  The piece shown here is from Fostoria Glass.  This is their June etched small 2-handled bowl that is perfect to display.  But it’s even better for the new couple to use this for holidays and special meals with friends.

Fostoria made June in this luscious topaz yellow that is soft and blends well – no harsh color here.  June etch is on the elegant Fairfax shapes in medium blue, pink and crystal.  It is beautiful in any color and crystal – I like the yellow the best for its cheerful sunny disposition.

This particular bowl is $50, a good price point for wedding or shower gifts.  It’s a perfect way to introduce a special couple to this gorgeous vintage glass.

Buying information:  June bowl and more pieces are in our online store Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass.

Stippled Rose S Pattern Clear Depression Glass Tall Creamer

Isn’t this pretty with the band of stylized flowers and trailing leaf swags?  This pattern is S Pattern, called Stippled Rose, and MacBeth Evans made it from 1930 to 1933.   From what I’ve read, collectors sought this glassware when depression glass collecting first became popular, but it is not so well-known today.

Like most MacBeth Evans output, S Pattern is thin and much sturdier than it looks.  I’ve had several pieces over the years and very few have had any damage problems.  The shapes are smooth and the pieces don’t have sharp corners or ridges to get nicked.

MacBeth Evans made this in yellow, amber, clear, and clear with trim.  We had several pieces in clear with silver that were beautiful and sold quickly.  The amber is a true amber color while the yellow is a soft light topaz color, not so bright as Hocking’s or Hazel Atlas’ yellow.   I’m showing the amber lunch plate so you can see the color and intricate design.

Stippled Rose S Pattern Amber Depression Glass 8 1/2 Lunch Plate

Oddly enough, this is one of the least expensive mold-etched depression patterns, even in colors.   For example, we’ve got this creamer listed for $17.99 with free shipping in our eBay store.  Even the tumblers are affordable, under $25 each.  Most of the mold etched designs, like American Sweetheart, tend to be a little more expensive than the same color in a simpler pattern, like Petalware.

You can collect a nice sized set of Stippled Rose, including the usual plates, cups, sherbets.  There is only one place setting bowl and it’s called a cereal although it’s only 5 1/2 inches across, the usual size for a berry bowl or sauce dish.  You can find two different pitchers and a cake plate and a serving bowl, plus four sizes of tumblers.  So consider collecting Stippled Rose if you would like a medium sized, very pretty mold etched depression glass pattern that won’t send you to the poor house.

We don’t have many pieces of this in stock, so I’m putting in a search box so you can look at the TIAS mall for more pieces.  TIAS stands for The Internet Antique Store and is where I have my store, Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass.  This is an affiliate link.

Hazel Atlas Florentine Poppy #2 Yellow Depression Glass Pitcher

Yellow must have been a popular color during the depression because depression glass manufacturers made several patterns in yellow and makers such as Fostoria did extensive lines in topaz.

So what’s the right name for this color?  Is it yellow?  Topaz?  Canary?  Vaseline?  Yellow is certainly the color name.   Hocking called their Cameo and Block Optic yellow.   Nothing fancy!

Some glass makers had their own terms for glass colors.  Fostoria called their yellow Topaz; check this link for Fostoria June etched topaz glass.  They called an almost identical color Gold Tint.  Ah yes.  Marketing ploys were alive and well in the 1930s!  (On a side note Fostoria was known for astute marketing.)

Older yellow Early America Pressed Glass (made in the late 1880s) is called canary but I’ve not seen this term used for depression-era glass.  I visualize canary as a vivid, bright yellow and my dictionary defines it as light to vivid which isn’t a lot of help!

Vaseline strictly speaking refers to glass that is light yellow or greenish yellow and glows green in ultraviolet light, but you will see people call anything that glows under black light vaseline.

Yellow is a cheerful sunshine color that looks great in glass.  The 1930s era glass isn’t an in-your-face eyesore color, but a pretty, soft pleasing tone that blends well with other colors and looks great by itself.

If you like yellow glass then patterns I recommend:

• Hazel Atlas Florentine #1 or #2, aka Poppy.  The pitcher shown is the Florentine #2.  These two patterns are identical but on different shapes and come in yellow, green, pale pink and clear.  The colors look wonderful together.
• Hocking Cameo also called Dancing Girl or Ballerina.  I like this pattern a lot and it is relatively easy to find, comes in lots of pieces and is moderately priced.
• Hocking Block Optic is art deco styling and is also fun to collect with many pieces to find and rather inexpensive.
• Fostoria Trojan etch or June.  These are more costly but gorgeous.  And fun to collect with plenty of pieces.

There are more yellow patterns, but these are excellent starting points.

Hocking Cameo Dancing Girl Yellow Depression Glass Grill Plate

We shared our top 10 reasons to collect depression glass:

10.  It’s beautiful!

9.  It’s stylish!

8.  You’ll feel good!

7.  Stop being hard to shop for!

6.  It’s fun!

5.  They don’t make this any more!

4.  Set yourself apart!

3.  Reuse with Pizzaz!

2.  Enduring Enjoyment!

and number 10:  You tell me.  Post your comments here and the best one will receive a coupon for 20% off their next order from our store Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass. We’ll let the contest run one week, until midnight on September 15.

That brings us to the topic, where do you start?  Browse our blog and our store and select a pattern that appeals to you.  Consider how you plan to use it.  Do you want a set for lunch?  for dessert?   Or are you fascinated by the creamers and sugars and want one of each?  Pick something  you like and order a piece or two.

If you’re not sure, then try one of the most popular patterns, like Cameo from Hocking we show here.  People like this pattern because it is beautiful, stylish, different and lots of fun to collect!

Choose what you like, but choose something!

Monongah Glass Secretaries Primrose Blossom Etched Goblet

Do you like high quality, unique design, graceful shapes?  And would you like your stemware and glasses to be these things?  Yes, I would too!

Reason #9 is:  You can find vintage glass that is higher quality at affordable prices that is unique, stylish and yes, stemware you can use and enjoy on your table!

If you compare vintage etched stemware from elegant glass makers like Fostoria, Cambridge, Tiffin to glass stems in stores today you can see a real difference in design and quality.   Many production steps in this older glassware were done by hand by skilled artisans, and that quality shows.

Vintage etched stemware includes goblets, tumblers, wines, sherbets, champagnes and a slew of other shapes and styles.   You can choose myriad shapes and styles – simple stems like this one to those that look medieval to those with an art deco shape.

Come and check out our vintage elegant stemware and who knows, maybe you will be hooked!

Coming tomorrow – Reason #8!

Fostoria Trojan Topaz Yellow Bread & Butter Plate

When I first saw Trojan in person I was amazed how pretty it is.  It doesn’t look appealing in the books, in fact it looks rather formal and stiff, but it’s gorgeous in person.  The first piece I ever saw was the large scroll handled console bowl and the etch was just perfect.

The design is a spade-shaped fan or palm leaf shape with scrolls and swags.  The individual palm leaves are rounded and don’t connect to each other.

Fostoria used their very elegant Fairax blank for the pieces and stemware.  Take a look at this plate and you can see that it is 12 sided, not really circular.  Stemware has a little faceted knob about an inch below the bowl that makes it easy to hold.

We try to have Trojan in stock at all times and I’ve found that sales are sporadic.  There are some serious collectors who want one of every piece and then other customers who have a few pieces and want to get enough more that they have a usable set.  For instance, small plates like these are nice to serve dessert or cheese and crackers.  You could use these with the wine goblets and have a very sharp looking set for your next wine and cheese get together with friends.

Fostoria Glass June Etched Topaz 2-Handled Bowl

Here is one of those pieces that is almost impossible to pin down.  Yes, it is Fostoria’s June etched elegant glass. Yes, it is topaz glass of the depression era. But is it the whipped cream bowl or the sweetmeat? I cannot tell! My reference books describe both pieces as having two handles and being the size this one is, 5 1/2 inches across without the handles and 7 inches long with the handles included. None of my books give the heights of these pieces and the photos that I’ve seen on websites look about the same.

I would think that a bowl for whipped cream would be a little deeper than this and a sweetmeat is basically a candy dish. We’ve had sweetmeats in Fostoria’s Lafayette glass which have been a little smaller than this.

Oh well, it is a very pretty bowl regardless what it was called originally. Today we would use it to float flowers or to hold candy or nuts, or yes, even whipped cream!

Fostoria June Etched Pattern Topaz Yellow Center Handled Server

A couple posts ago we showed one of my favorite things, elegant depression glass console bowls. Here’s another type of glass that is equally entrancing, the center handled sandwich server, also called center handled tray, center handled server or CHS. Regardless what you call it, this is one of the signature pieces of the depression era and sadly you won’t see these in contemporary glass patterns.

We’re showing off our latest center handled server, Fostoria’s June etched Fairfax pattern. This is a very pretty piece with its fleur de lis handle and the wonderful June etch of flowers tied with bows and ribbons. June is one of the patterns we try to carry and here it is in one of my favorites! Wow!

The best thing about buying glass for resale is you get to get this beautiful glassware, appreciate it, then pass it on to someone else who will not only enjoy and appreciate it, but who probably wants to finally have enough pieces they can use the set they started from their mom or grandmother.  We don’t have this one listed yet on either our www.CatladykatesGlass.com or www.catladykate.com sites but we will – as soon as I’m able to think about parting with it!

Lancaster Glass Cane Ladrum Topaz Low Console Bowl

A few days ago we showed off one of my favorite pieces, a green console bowl with a rolled rim and Central Glass Balda etch.   Console bowls are one of the signature peices of the depression era and today we’re showing you a different type altogther.  

This is the low console bowl in Lancaster Glass’ Cane Landrum topaz yellow depression glass.  This looks like etched glass but the design is actually raised.  Lancaster Glass made many patterns that required some hand work – including cut patterns like Jubilee – and they made intricate mold etched glass like this that was mass produced.  

Much of Lancaster’s depression glass had this type of scallop and point design.  They made topaz yellow, a soft beautiful pink, some green and clear glass.  They didn’t produce many completely different lines with different shaped pieces but they creatively used a couple dozen designs and decorations on about 10 different shapes, resulting in many beautiful pieces with graceful swooping shapes and appealing designs.