Depression glass was made in the U.S.A. from the 1920's into the 1950's when it started to lose its popularity. Depression glass is not and never was fine china. It was made cheap with the intention of selling it cheap. It was mainly used as a premium or give-away for other companies to promote their products. It was common practice for customers to get complete sets free from cereal, soap, movie theaters, gas stations, and other places. Today it is a very popular collectible and because of its popularity it is being Faked in places like china and mexico. How do you know it is real? Practice and study. There are a lot of patterns and colors; pick one that you like and concentrate on it. The local library is a good source for books on Depression glass and it is free. The Internet has literally thousands of pages on the subject as well. The color should be light or thin almost clear. If it is a real deep/dark color, hard to see through, it is most likely faked.

Expect to see bubbles inside the glass. A few air bubbles are OK, in my opinion, and are expected. Quality Control was used but slight imperfections were accepted to keep costs down on this inexpensive glassware. Too many air bubbles can detract from the pattern or indicate a cheaply made fake.

Look for the Straw Mark. This is a thin line usually near the center of the piece. It is not a crack and should not go all the way through the glass. If it can be felt it should be smooth almost rounded. A crack on the other hand will go through the glass and a fingernail may snag on it. I have read two reasons for this mark. Both seem possible to me and it doesn't really matter because this straw mark is almost a dead give-away for true Depression glass.

Blowout is another flaw to expect. The molding process causes this. As these molds were used and reused over and over they would start to wear out and a small amount of glass would seep out from between the two halves. Lightly run your hand along the edge to feel this and know the difference between blowout and chips. Blowout Always goes out away from the piece and a chip Always goes in toward the piece.

The flaws mentioned here are indications of authenticity and to do not take away from the value of the glass. Chips and cracks always take away from the value. 

2.    Saturday we will be open to the general public 9a.m. to 5p.m.   Sunday 9a.m. to 3p.m. Dealers can come in at 8a.m. each morning.

3.    Don't forget to order your tables and chairs if you need  them. The rented  tables are 8ft x 2 ½ ft. Please bring table coverings for them. It is also a very good idea to have lights in your booth as the building is quite dark (bring 3 prong ext. cords too).

4.     Thank you (ahead of time) for turning in your tax money at the end of the show.  This is a State requirement.

PLEASE do not break down your booth until 3 p.m. on Sunday.    We always have people who come in at the last hour and we want them to have a fun shopping experience.