Rare Depression Glass Pieces

Depression Glass - The Rare Pieces

Did you know that if you happen to have a crystal (clear) and pink Depression Glass refrigerator bowl in the Crisscross pattern in good condition and with its original cover, that it's valued at between $300 and $335? Or that Shirley Temple cream pitcher your grandmother keeps in the back of her upper cabinet could bring up to $1,250 at auction? If you didn't, then you've been in the dark about rare Depression Glass pieces and their values! Here are a few pieces for which knowledgeable Depression Glass collectors stay on constant lookout:

The Ruby Red Aladdin Beehive Lamp

Made for only six months during 1937, this lamp currently brings anywhere from $700 to $950 - if it can be found! Most collectors owning this piece understandably do not have any interest in letting go of it, which makes it even rarer. The color of the glass in the Aladdin series of ruby lamps varies from a light red with an amber tint to dark, rich red, with the deeper reds fetching more interest with today's collectors. So if you have this lamp with the trademarked "Aladdin" on it wick-raising knob, you've truly got yourself a prize!

Cambridge Glass Company's Blue Cleo Etched and Footed Sugar Sifter

Although the Cleo pattern, introduced by Cambridge in 1930, was produced in a variety of colors such as amber, green, crystal (clear), peach, and gold, it was and still is the blue that attracts buyers. Along with the oil bottle with its original stopper, the footed sugar sifter proves to be the hardest to find and, subsequently, the most costly when it is unearthed. These sugar sifters, usually seen only in books or magazines or, if you're lucky, in a Depression Glass club member's private collection, can be had, reluctantly, for anywhere from $900 to more than $1,000. So if you encounter one in person, just look -- don't touch it!

Ruby Flower Center Flying Lady Bowl

The story surrounding the origins of the Flying Lady bowl makes owning the piece that much more interesting - and makes the piece more valuable! In Ohio, where the Cambridge Glass Company called home, glassworkers visited a traveling circus that had come into town. A beautiful lady performer, a German trapeze artist, so amazed the glassworker/circus visitors, that they designed a mold in her honor. Flying Lady bowls come in several types of glass and patterns with prices usually in the $400 range, depending upon their condition. But the Queen Mother of this set - called the Statuesque series - lies with the ruby, flower-centered Flying Lady bowl. This precious piece garners upward of $2000 and more when found in mint condition. An interesting side note about this piece: When ministers visited those of their flock who owned the Flying Lady bowl, they were spared the vision of her nudity. Parishioners made sure she had been safely - and discreetly - tucked away during visits from the preacher!

These are just a few of the Depression Glass era's most sought-after pieces, but many more remain to raise the eyebrows of even the most deep-pocketed glass collectors. Some of these pieces can only be found in Depression Glass museums or, as mentioned, in private collections. But some - albeit a tiny few - still remain out there somewhere, just waiting for some incredibly lucky finder to discover them.

Could that lucky person be you? You'll never know unless you try, so get to hunting!

Until next time,

Murray Hughes

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