I would not advise anyone to collect depression glass with the goal to strike it rich! I bought and sold depression glass for 20 years, and although I made a profit every year, I also lost money on many individual pieces. So collect the glass because you love it, because it’s beautiful, because it reminds you of happy memories.
Even so, it’s fun to look at price changes over time. I own several price guides to depression glass from Hazel Marie Weatherman written in 1970, 1971 and 1981. These are based on her first book, Colored Glassware of the Depression Era, which covered many patterns. (Her second book of the same name covered more of the lesser-known patterns and some updates to popular patterns but does not have complete piece lists.) I also have 2003, 2007 and 2010 guides from Gene Florence. Please, please, please remember these are book guides from a past time and don’t try to use these as guides to today’s prices. Always do your homework. Check prices on eBay (read the descriptions for condition and details), Etsy, Replacements as those tend to reflect rough averages and trends. Go to depression glass shows and shop antique malls to get a sense of availability and cost.
| Piece and Color | 1970 | 1971 | 1981 | 2003 | 2007 | 2010 |
| 6 1/4 Inch Cereal Bowl – Pink | $2.50 | $2.50 | $8.50 | $30 | $25 | $22 |
| 6 1/4 Inch Cereal Bowl – Crystal | $2 | $2 | $4 | $9 | $9 | $10 |
| 10 Ounce Water Goblet – Pink | $4-6 | $5-8 | $25-27 | $50 | $52 | $35 |
| 10 Ounce Water Goblet – Crystal | $4-5 | $4-6 | $12-14 | $22 | $18 | $12 |
| 10 Inch Dinner Plate – Pink | $3.50-4.50 | $3.50-5 | $14-15 | $38 | $40 | $26 |
| 10 Inch Dinner Plate – Crystal | $3-4 | $3-4 | $4.50-6.50 | $16 | $16 | $11 |
| Candy Jar with Lid – Pink | $18-22 | $20-25 | $70-75 | $165 | $140 | $130 |
For comparison, today Replacements has the pink cereal bowl for $20, the dinner plate for $50, crystal cereal bowl for $9. It’s a little harder to tell prices from eBay, but pink dinner plate sold for $18-30 plus shipping, cereal bowls with chips for $7 each plus shipping.
What we can conclude from this short survey?
- Prices rose rapidly in the 1970s when people got excited about depression glass. I remember the lady who sold me a huge lot around 2000 said she and her husband used to see tons of it at flea markets in the 1980s and 1990s and it was fun to go looking for the pieces they lacked. (She had an enormous collection with a piece in almost every pattern and complete sets in patterns she liked.)
- Prices hit their peak sometime in the early 2000s. This was my experience selling. My theory is that people still liked the glass, but eBay made more folks aware they might have something valuable in their attics, the supply increased and prices dropped. The minimalist style trends contributed too because people lost interest in what they saw as clutter. Many people have told me their kids didn’t want their stuff, whether glass or furniture or other, it was junk to them. I think this trend may reverse itself but who knows whether depression glass will ever become quite as hot as it used to be.
- Prices for pink and crystal started out similar but diverged with pink almost always being more valuable.
It’s fun to read the older collectors’ guides. The authors are excited by their glass and eager to share their knowledge. Hazel Marie Weatherman is especially fun to read. She traveled extensively to examine glass company records and talk to other collectors – all this before it was easy to share information other than by written letter or phone – and has an engaging, delightful style. I like reading her guides, even the ones that have out of date of prices have good information about patterns’ relative popularity and availability.
Weatherman used a stars and stripes system to denote popularity and availability for depression glass patterns. She had Miss America as 4 stars, the top score for popularity and 4 stripes, tops for availability. I’d tend to agree that this has been and remains one of the more popular patterns.
As always enjoy your glass. You won’t get rich financially with it but you can certainly enrich your heart and soul with its beauty.