Depression Glass – Why Are There Fakes?

We’ve been talking about real, fake and reissued depression glass. Why would someone try to make and sell fakes?

One of the most reproduced patterns is Cherry Blossom from Jeannette Glass. The dinner plate here is authentic. Until the reproductions waltzed onto the market, Cherry Blossom was one of the most popular and costly depression patterns. There are some very rare pieces that are extremely expensive and almost impossible to find. Collectors seek these pieces. The reason to reproduce was that it was lucrative to do so.

Until collectors realized there were reproductions, the fakes sold. Of course once people saw the fakes they could see the differences, share their knowledge with others, and the repros lost their allure. In fact Cherry Blossom is again one of the most prized depression glass patterns.

We’ll cover other reasons in the next few issues.