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Each month in the newsletter I write up one pattern: who made it, when, in what colors, how to
know it, and what to watch out for. Here are this year's columns, so far, collected in one place.
There was no column in August or September, because the show ate them. October's will be
Princess.
A note on names: many patterns have two names, the one the factory gave it and the one
collectors gave it later. I give both where there are two. The dates are the years the pattern was
in production, as best the books can tell us.
January: Cameo
also called "Ballerina" or "Dancing Girl" |
Hocking Glass · 1930-1934
Colors: green (most common), yellow, pink, and crystal with a platinum rim
How could I not start the year with my own pattern? Look for the little dancing girl, holding a
long scarf that floats out behind her, set in an oval frame and surrounded by swags and bows. She's
molded into the glass, so tilt the piece toward the light to see her. The green is a lovely clear
grass color, and there are more shapes in green Cameo than you would think a five-and-dime
pattern had any right to: plates in every size, cups and saucers, sherbets, tumblers, pitchers,
candy jars, a cookie jar, a cake plate on three little feet, and even a decanter.
Collector's notes: Yellow Cameo was mostly made in the dinner pieces, and pink is scarce in
most shapes. Cameo is not cheap, but a set can still be built slowly, one sherbet at a time. I
should know.
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February: Mayfair
also called "Open Rose" |
Hocking Glass · 1931-1937
Colors: pink (most plentiful), light "ice" blue, green, yellow (rare), crystal
A valentine of a pattern for the February issue. Mayfair has an open rose design and a lot of
pieces with fancy stepped or scalloped edges, and much of the pink was given a frosted "satin"
finish, sometimes with painted flowers. The light blue is my favorite color in all of Depression
glass, and I do not collect it, because I would have to sell the house.
A bit of history: another company, Federal Glass, had its own pattern called Mayfair in the
works at the same time. Hocking had the rights to the name, so Federal changed its design and
renamed it Rosemary. The few pieces Federal made before the change are what collectors call
"Federal Mayfair," and they look like Rosemary's older sister.
Watch out: Mayfair cookie jars and shot glasses have been reproduced. See our
Reproduction Alerts.
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| March: American Sweetheart |
MacBeth-Evans · 1930-1936
Colors: pink, Monax (white), and in smaller amounts red, blue, Cremax and smoke
Don't go looking for hearts. The design is a graceful ring of scrolls and swags, and on the
plates it fills the rim and the center both. It is a quiet pattern, and it lets the glass do the
talking.
Monax is a milky white glass, thin and fine. Hold a Monax plate up to a window and the edges
glow with a faint blue or pinkish fire. Many collectors prefer it to the pink. Monax pieces were
sometimes trimmed in gold or platinum, which wears off with washing, so a trimmed piece in good
condition is a find. The red and blue pieces are rare and very expensive, and you will not see
many outside a museum or a very large show.
Collector's notes: The sugar bowl lid in Monax is the piece everyone is missing. Ask
Carolyn Eastman.
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| April: Cherry Blossom |
Jeannette Glass · 1930-1939
Colors: pink, green, Delphite (opaque blue), and a few pieces in Jadite, crystal and red
Cherries on branches with leaves, all over every piece. It is one of the most beloved patterns there
is, and one of the most widely made, so you can still find the basic pieces in pink and green at a
fair price. Jeannette also made a child's junior dinner set in pink and Delphite, little cups,
saucers, plates, a creamer and sugar, and a little girl in 1935 who got one for Christmas was a very
lucky little girl.
Watch out: Cherry Blossom is also one of the most reproduced patterns of all, including the
children's pieces, and has been since the 1970s. Before you pay real money for Cherry Blossom,
read our Reproduction Alerts, and then read them again.
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| May: Royal Lace |
Hazel-Atlas · 1934-1941
Colors: cobalt blue (most prized), pink, green, crystal, and a little amethyst
A lacy pattern of curving scallops and flowers that looks just like a crocheted doily laid on the
glass. In crystal or pink it's pretty. In cobalt blue, which collectors call "Ritz blue," it
is spectacular, and the cobalt pieces are the most sought after and the most expensive. Royal Lace
includes a cookie jar, which with a metal lid and ladle was also sold as a toddy or cider set.
Collector's notes: Cobalt glass shows every scratch, chip and bit of wear, so look closely and
under good light. Our president, Juanita Imler, has the best cobalt Royal Lace collection in
northeast Kansas, missing only one lid.
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June: Miss America
also called "Diamond Pattern" |
Hocking Glass · 1935-1938
Colors: crystal, pink, and smaller amounts of green, ice blue and Royal Ruby
A crisp, sparkling pattern of raised diamonds that imitates expensive cut glass. On plates and
bowls the pattern radiates out from the center, and the raised hobs come to sharp points. It's often
confused with a hobnail pattern made by another company, so feel the hobs: on Miss America they
are pointed, not rounded.
Watch out: Miss America has been reproduced since the late 1970s, the butter dish especially,
along with salt and pepper shakers, pitchers and tumblers, some in colors the pattern was never made
in. Catherine Owens has turned down eleven butter dishes in twenty years. She is still waiting for
the right one.
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| July: Madrid |
Federal Glass · 1932-1939
Colors: amber (most common), green, blue, pink, crystal
A busy, scrolling pattern of leaves and curlicues that covers nearly every inch of the glass. The
amber is a warm honey color and you can still put together a whole set of it, which is what George
Talton has done, all but the gravy boat. The blue Madrid is lovely and scarce.
Watch out: In 1976, for the Bicentennial, Federal brought Madrid back in amber and called it
Recollection. Every Recollection piece was supposed to carry a small "76" worked into the
pattern, but it can be hard to find, and new pieces have been sold as old ones by people who either
didn't know or didn't care. Later on, Recollection turned up in other colors, and in some shapes
that Madrid never had. Full details on the Reproduction Alerts page.
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Club Home · Reproduction Alerts
Corrections from members who know better are always welcome. Write to
[email protected].
Last updated September 21, 1999
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