This blog has very few posts about Queen Mary, odd since we had many pieces over the years. Let’s look at some of the accessories and serving pieces which are especially fun.
Back in the 1930s and 40s (even into the 1970s and 80s) people used relish trays for cut up carrots, celery, radishes and such. Relish trays were a ubiquitous wedding or shower gift and Hocking offered multiple styles in Queen Mary. This shallow oval dish is the celery or pickle – it is large enough for long celery pieces. Hocking made it in both crystal and pink.
This 2-compartment dish is probably meant for relishes as it is far too shallow for condiments.
I’ve not seen the base to this but it’s likely meant as an insert to the 5-part relish tray. To be clear, I’ve not seen this called out as part of the Queen Mary line up in reference books but the pattern works as a go-with if not part of the original line.
This is the neatest relish dish. Imagine it with olives or a pickle selection.
One interesting piece is the round ashtray/coaster. It has indents for cigarette rests and a nice round interior with a raised X that prevents wet glasses from sticking to the bottom. We had this in crystal and Forest Green and Hocking made it in Royal Ruby too but not pink.
This is a fun piece with its quirky star shape, rather nice for Christmas in green or ruby! If you read books set before 1980 or so, or have seen movies from the 1950s you probably noticed many people smoked, yes, they suspected it wasn’t good for them, but it looked good. Now most of us would prefer to use these neat pieces as coasters and they are a practical choice for that.
Hocking made a small square ashtray that I’ve not found a picture of. This is their oval version.
Hocking Glass made a Queen Mary mayonnaise bowl and liner plate but this photo shows the crystal comport with the plate from the mayo set. You could use it for condiments like cranberry sauce or mayonnaise or stand a pillar candle in it and place Christmas greenery around the base.
One of the nicest pieces of Queen Mary that we had is this preserve and cover, also considered the butter dish. It was a bit unusual to find such a fancy piece in great condition at a flea market, but that’s where this little gem came from. If you enjoy crystal depression glass you’ve likely found that many people do not recognize it as “depression glass” and price accordingly.
I like how the finial on the lid has the same angular ribs as the body.
My all time favorite Queen Mary is the candle holder. Hocking did not make this in pink, only crystal and some Royal Ruby. I love the cactus look!
If you like depression glass then find a pattern with fun pieces like these. They are different from anything made today!