Dogwood Pink Depression Glass Sherbet Macbeth Evans
Last month we shared the Top 10 Reasons to Collect Depression Glass. OK, so you are convinced, but now what? How do you start with this fun hobby? There are so many patterns and pieces to choose among that it’s easy to get lost trying to decide which one is for you.
My advice? Start with a book or a blog like mine or browse a website such as on eBay or Etsy and see what appeals to you. Don’t worry if you can’t make up your mind just yet.
Go ahead and pick a couple pieces, maybe in different patterns or colors. You can find glass that won’t break your budget and I’m always glad to help you with shipping cost by packing glass together. Or if you find a piece you like, go ahead and email and ask about it.
The main factor is whether you like the pattern and color, but also consider how many pieces a pattern was made in, the overall price range, durability and whether it’s plentiful enough that you can realistically find something when you shop. Depression glass that came in a wide range of pieces will be more fun to collect than one where you have only a few shapes to pick up. The wide selection sometimes means you have more than one size of a tumbler or a serving bowl available to you.
The pattern we show here, Dogwood in pink, is a great choice. It is very pretty (as you can see from the sherbet); there are many pieces available including tumblers and serving pieces. MacBeth Evans made Dogwood and it is pretty durable, just like their American Sweetheart and the shapes are not prone to nicks. It is priced in the higher medium range. It’s about even with American Sweetheart, more than Block Optic, but well under some of the higher priced elegant patterns or hard to find depression sets. Oddly enough the sherbet is rather expensive. The sherbets are usually pretty inexpensive in most depression glass, in the $5-25 range, but the Dogwood pink one retails for about $40. Cups are about $15 and serving bowls are $60, so it is affordable. It is also available, always good.
Even if you are not sure, there are ways to reduce your risk. If you get a few pieces in Dogwood, like the one shown here, then decide you don’t like it, you can probably sell it and move on to the next pattern. It’s hard to sell glass well online, like on eBay, but often you can do well at garage sales if you advertise your pattern. While I would not advise collecting depression glass to fund your retirement, you generally are going to do OK as long as you buy quality pieces in good condition.
Regardless of pattern you choose, the main thing is to start!