Antique Valuation

How To Find Antique Glass Values

Up until the mid to late 1800s, glassware was not primarily used in the home, although the usage of glass for other purposes had been around for many years. Glass jars for food storage and preservation, commonly known as canning jars, was one of the first widespread uses of glass for the homemaker. Entering the 20th century, Glass houses began to manufacture more kitchen glass and utilitarian wares for the homemaker.

In the century that followed dozens of glass manufacturers sprung up, creating millions of pieces of glass in a seemingly unlimited number of colors and patterns. The glass house that produced a large amount of household glasswares, was the same company well-known for producing glass canning jars years earlier. This company was the Hazel Atlas Glass company. Today, many people seek out and buy antique glass for many different reasons. The primary allure to antique glass is the history and beauty of such early pieces.

Typically, a generally accepted age for antique glass is at least 75 years old. However, the age does not necessarily reflect the value of antique glass Glassware that is 50 to 75 years old may not be considered antique glass, however it is referred to as collectible glass as collectors will typically find it to be desirable as well. Glassware does not necessarily have to be antique glass to be considered valuable; it is mainly the desire of the particular piece that determines the price or value.

The value of antique glass is mainly set by the supply and demand principle. When a large amount of people seek to buy a particular piece that is in limited supply or hard to find, the price will typically be higher. This very reason is why any collector or seller should know the patterns and prices of antique glass. To determine the value, some people will seek the advice of an antique dealer. However, referring to a person that has a lot to gain from his knowledge of your piece requires quite a bit of trust that he will honestly tell you what it is worth.

You could spend hours looking through books to determine the pattern or price of your antique glass. However, the Internet provides an easy way to find out the values of your antique glass through collectors clubs and websites. By joining a collector club or visiting their website, you may be able to quickly determine the pattern and the hard part of researching your antique glass is done. It is important to become knowledgeable on the antique glassware that you own or collect, to ensure you are getting the right price when buying or selling.

Since the large majority of antique glass was produced in the mid-1930s, this narrows your learning curve down considerably since there were only a few glass houses in operation at this time. These companies included Jeanette Glass, Duncan and Miller, Hazel Atlas Glass, and McKee Glass. These companies produced the majority of all glass in the 1930s and 1940s. While all of these companies produced a fair share of household glassware during this period, the Hazel Atlas Glass company led the way in producing the most patterns. In Fact, Hazel Atlas was the largest glass manufacturer in the USA. Investigating the Hazel Atlas company would be the best place to begin your research.

The author is the webmaster of the Hazel Atlas Glass collectors website and has published dozens of articles in trade magazines and the web to help collectors of Antique Glass. Visit the Hazel Atlas Glass collectors club for more information on identifying, collecting and values.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com