Antique glass is glassware that was produced from the later 1800s to the middle1900s. Antique glassware comes in a broad category of styles, colors, and patterns, which makes them appealing to a larger audience of collectors.

Antique Glassware selection typically starts with the genre's, the most popular of which are blown glass, cut glass, carnival glass, depression glass and pressed glass.

Antique Glass is generally Categorized in several ways:

• The genre or style

• The chemical formula or recipe

• The method used in shaping it

• The maker of the glass

• The quality or condition

Blown Glass

The second oldest method of glass making is the forming and shaping of molten glass by blowing it through a long tube by mouth. Blown glass usually has small bubbles visible throughout, and uneven blending of colors. It has a rough section called a rod mark or pontil where the glass rod was attached during the process. It may also be several separate pieces connected together.

Cut Glass

The oldest form of glass making dating back 2,000 years. Cut glass is a method of cutting the surface of a cooled piece with a grinding wheel to shape it in the desired style.

In the late 19th century up to the early 20s, in America, a more intricately cut leaded crystal was crafted with what was called American Brilliant Cut Glass . Owning these sets was an indication of wealth and opulence.

Carnival Glass

Why is it called Carnival Glass? It was often a prize given away by carnivals in the early 1900s. It was manufactured by Fenton and Northwood as a cheap knockoff of Tiffany Favril works.

Carnival glass is an iridescent colored pressed glass molded with visible seams. They gave it names like water lily, peacock, cattails, thistle and wreath of roses. Its popularity today is due to its vibrant colors and, no doubt history.

Depression Glass

Depression Glass is yet another inexpensively made glass that was given away through business promotions. It was a low cost (cheap) glass introduced during the American Brilliant era, as we entered WWI. It became even more popular due to it's budget friendly affordability during the Great Depression.

In part, it's popularity is supported by the appreciation of the economic struggle of the people of that time. For collectors, pink, green and blue are the colors with the most value. Pink tops the list as the most valuable due to its rarity. Yellow and amber colored depression glass are more common and less valuable.

Pressed Glass

Pressed glass is simply glass poured into a molds with specific patterns and designs. The mold creates a visible thin seam on an edge or side of the piece. Because of its popularity in the mid 1800s to the very early 1900s, this heavy pressed glass became known as Early American Pressed Glass (EAPG). It was manufactured by Cambridge Glass Co, New England Glass Co and McKee from Pennsylvania.

Cobalt Glass

Cobalt Salts is used in this type of Antique glassware to give the glass a rich, deep blue color. It's one of the oldest methods of glass making.

Cranberry Glass

Cranberry glass is also known as Rubino Oro, a high-end red colored glass that is created, rather expensively, by mixing gold oxide with molten glass.

Lead Glass

Lead glass contains 10% lead which produces an exceptional brilliance that appears like diamond. Commercially, it's used in expensive Crystal Glassware and chandeliers and high-end dinnerware, however, it's also used in laboratories. It is value is in its capability to block ultraviolet and infrared light. Lead glass can be blown, pressed, or even cut.

Milk Glass

Milk glass gets its name due to its opaque to even translucent appearance. Best known for its milky white look, it also comes in a variety of colors milky blue, pink, brown, or black and is most commonly used in cups, glasses, and serving dishes.

Soda Lime Glass

Also called soda-lime silica glass. Combine sodium carbonate with lime and you get a hard, clear glass that can be pressed, blown or cut into many shapes and designs. It's the most common of glasses, used for many things, like windows and low cost glassware.

Uranium Glass

Most of the transparent to opaque, green or yellow collectible glass is Uranium Glass. It's made by adding uranium salts to the mix. Some of the more frequent uses are figurine, plates, cups, saucers, glasses, salt and pepper shakers and candlestick holders, and salt and pepper shakers. Don't worry, radiation minimal.

The three subcategories of uranium glass are Jadeite, Vaseline and Custard.

• Jadeite glass appears as an opaque pale green look.

• Vaseline glass has more transparent yellow-green hue that can glow greenish under black light.

• Custard glass has an opaque yellow look, thus the name.

Black Glass

Black Glass dates back to the 1600, when it was learned that dark glass was stronger than clear glass, due to the addition of iron oxide. Black is made by adding copper, iron and cobalt oxide.

Up to the mid 1800s most English bottles were made of the thick black glass due to its durability. It's scratch resistant and harder than other glass. It was used for buttons and jewelry by 18 century Europeans.

However, it's not really Black, but more of a dark green to dark amber color. In fact, it wasn't called “black glass” until that characterization was used in an American newspaper ad in the 1740s.

Black Glass is one of the most sought after collectibles and has a high value.