1 piece of antique glassware may be difficult to distinguish from another of similar style, until you become aware of gaps in stamps or markers hidden someplace on the glass. Manufacturers of everything from jars into soda bottles and drinkware stamp their glass products with symbols or letters which help identify the manufacturer, the layout or even the general era in which the glass was made. Comparing the marks you find to catalogued markings on collector websites makes it possible to determine exactly what kind of glassware you have. In some cases, the style of etched pattern is just another means of identification.
Bottles and Jars
Some jar and bottle manufacturers used symbols or letters to brand the glassware they produced, typically on the base of the piece of glass. A diamond shape with a big “order” intersecting it, for example, is a typical find on many old bottles. This emblem is a stamp from the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, which had many plants around the USA in the first half of the 20th century. In some cases, the markings on a bottle have been recorded on the bottle’s sides, indicating its initial contents, such as Dr. Townsend’s Sarsaparilla from the mid-1800s. With somewhat generic markings such as a letter or series of figures, compare the marks to images on historical and collector glass websites. The arrangement of numbers and letters occasionally indicates year of manufacture, although there isn’t any standard for the practice; comparing similar images in books and collector websites is the ideal way to learn what every mark means, specific to your glass.
Household Glassware Sets
Several parts of glassware made for household use after belonged to a set. A juice glass may have been contained in a set which had water glasses as well; likewise, a glass butter dish may have a matching sugar bowl as a sibling. Should you still have parts of the first set, check all the pieces for markers on the base of the glass. Compare the symbols or letters to graphs in glass-collector books or websites. If unable to find a game, then take a look at a website that sells replacement pieces for dinnerware and glassware sets and scan through the image gallery. Click similar images and compare the size and style into your pieces; sooner or later, you’ll probably find a game.
Nice Etched Glass and Crystal
Etched glass and glass add an elegant touch to the table setting, and the etching may also offer more clues to the piece’s origins. Inspect the etched patterns all the way around the glass item using a magnifying glass; in some scenarios, the manufacturer etched a tiny version of the company name or emblem somewhere along or within the layout, although this practice is most common with more recent glassware. If you’re unable to find symbols or lettering on the glass piece, look for the database on a replacement glassware site, utilizing the design’s shape since the search phrase, such as “cherries.”
When in Doubt
If unable to find images or evidence online of any markings very similar to those on your glassware, take a look at a regional antique store that sells glassware, or get in touch with a historical glassware collector’s group. Bottle collectors’ establishments may have forums or websites letting you upload images or ask questions regarding an unusual piece. For glassware which was once part of a set, write or call to a company which sells miscellaneous glassware replacement pieces; by experience dealing with a huge amount of materials, they may have the ability to identify your glass.