Hocking made Cameo depression glass for such a long time that they made a huge number of pieces – multiple bowls, tumblers, sherbets, sugars, even cups. One of the sets that could cause confusion is the dinner plate group. There are at least six plates that are “dinner plates”.
The first one is what we think of as a regular dinner plate. It’s about 9 1/2 inches wide (9 3/8 if you’re precise), has a wide center and proportional rim. Very nice, easy to use piece.
I had to substitute the lunch plate – all my dinners like this sold. Good for my business but not so good for movies! You can see in this picture the swags in the center touch the swags on the rim. There is a variation plate that has a smaller medallion.
The next plate is the tab handled dinner plate. This one is neat. The rim is raised around the center, almost like the grill plate except there are no dividers. Some Hocking depression glass has pieces about this size with more prominent handles that are called cake plates or serving plates. The Cameo cake plate is a short cake stand; don’t get confused by the terms.
What makes this plate special are the little tab handles. They even have a swag mold etched on the underside! There is a similar raised rim plate that does not have the little handles but I have not seen it.
This piece is dual purpose and has two names. You might see it called the Cameo sandwich plate or the small-centered dinner plate. It’s about 10 inches wide with a wide rim and small center. Very nice piece that will look great as a serving plate, or if you want a larger dinner plate then this is perfect.
Last one is our trusty grill plate. Take a leaf from our depression era families and use these if you are trying to diet by controlling portions. When I was a kid we had plastic divided dishes and they really work. Food doesn’t mingle (no more baked beans all over your hamburger.) Plus, the divided sections truly make small portions look huge!
Hocking made another grill plate that has tab handles, another piece I have not seen personally.
My Cameo inventory came from an estate sale. The lady who owned it had collected for years and used her dishes for special occasions. We have many unusual and fun pieces like these plates, tumblers, serving pieces.