# ID my Glass Bowl **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-my-glass-bowl/515242 "2009-10-27T00:05:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Miss\_Violaceous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Miss\_Violaceous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Violaceous)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-my-glass-bowl/515242/1 "2009-10-27T00:05:03Z")
I purchased a cute little glass candy dish at a consignment store today. I will love it even if it’s not an antique collectible, because the colors are vibrant and the pattern compelling. However, I would like to know what it is. It was labelled “carnival glass” but I’ve since determined that carnival glass is ALWAYS iridescent and this is not. It’s a thick, footed bowl, made of pressed or poured glass with a color change from leafy green at the bottom to yellow at the edge. The pattern looks very similar to many of the geometric carnival glass patterns, so I can see where they’re getting that. I found one on ebay that looks like the exact same bowl: [http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-GREEN-YELLOW-GLASS-CANDY-BOWL\_W0QQitemZ230331906437QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH\_DefaultDomain\_0?hash=item35a0d9f985](http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-GREEN-YELLOW-GLASS-CANDY-BOWL_W0QQitemZ230331906437QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a0d9f985) Unfortunately, ebay person doesn’t seem to know much about theirs. Mine is in better condition, with no cracks and only a very little flaking on the bottom of the feet. It looks too uneven and worn to be a recent reproduction, but who knows. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-my-glass-bowl/515242/2 "2009-10-27T16:23:13Z")
Are there any markings on it at all? When you look down at it, does it look anything like: [http://www.patternglass.com/Pattern/DoublePinwheel/DblPinWhl.htm](http://www.patternglass.com/Pattern/DoublePinwheel/DblPinWhl.htm) [http://www.eapgs.org/doublepinwheel.html](http://www.eapgs.org/doublepinwheel.html) Here’s a place where you can submit a picture for ID: [http://www.eapgs.org/patterns.htm](http://www.eapgs.org/patterns.htm) ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-my-glass-bowl/515242/3 "2009-10-27T16:30:27Z")
> [@Miss\_Violaceous](#): > > I purchased a cute little glass candy dish at a consignment store today. I will love it even if it’s not an antique collectible, because the colors are vibrant and the pattern compelling. However, I would like to know what it is. It was labelled “carnival glass” but I’ve since determined that carnival glass is ALWAYS iridescent and this is not. It’s a thick, footed bowl, made of pressed or poured glass with a color change from leafy green at the bottom to yellow at the edge. The pattern looks very similar to many of the geometric carnival glass patterns, so I can see where they’re getting that. > > I found one on ebay that looks like the exact same bowl: > [http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-GREEN-YELLOW-GLASS-CANDY-BOWL\_W0QQitemZ230331906437QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH\_DefaultDomain\_0?hash=item35a0d9f985](http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-GREEN-YELLOW-GLASS-CANDY-BOWL_W0QQitemZ230331906437QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a0d9f985) > Unfortunately, ebay person doesn’t seem to know much about theirs. Mine is in better condition, with no cracks and only a very little flaking on the bottom of the feet. It looks too uneven and worn to be a recent reproduction, but who knows. Any thoughts? It’s called carnival glass as a genre; I can’t get anymore specific than that. My in-laws collect and deal in the stuff, so I’ll see if I can get one of them to identify it further. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-my-glass-bowl/515242/4 "2009-10-27T16:41:49Z")
The way the colors flow together reminds me of Westmoreland Glass and some of the other Western PA glass I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-my-glass-bowl/515242/5 "2009-10-27T16:59:15Z")
See if you can find something with a blue LED in it and shine it on the glass - if it fluoresces light green, it’s uranium glass. Does it have a visible ‘seam’ running across it (the base is the best place to look) - if so, it’s pressed in a mould. Otherwise it could be cut glass (usually more valuable than pressed) ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-my-glass-bowl/515242/6 "2009-10-29T16:41:52Z")
My MiL finally replied to my e-mail. Here is what she said: > [@](#): > > I looked at the glass dish on e-bay and if it is the same as the one you have - just enjoy it for what it is. > > It appears to be pressed glass from the last 30-40 years with sprayed on colors (definitely not carnival glass). I would not put it in the dishwasher because the color will come off. > > In the early part of the 1900s they produced a glass they called “goofus glass”. They used some of the molds as they did for carnival glass. It was beautiful. The colors on the outside were colorful with a lot of red and gold. The inside was left bare. Anyway, upon use and washing these colors came off and left clear glass. You can still find it with a little of the color still intact. There are many collectors of goofus glass just as there are for other types of glassware. > > Again, if you like it then it is worth something to you and doesn’t need to be loved for its value. > > Enjoy your searches for the old and desirable !!! You will learn much about our history and meet some great people along the way who are glad to share their knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-my-glass-bowl/515242/7 "2009-10-30T00:31:11Z")
Carnival glass gets it’s name from it’s origin, it was cheaply made back in the early to mid 20th century and was often found at carnivals. Toss a coin into the dish or bowl and it was yours. A cheap molding process developed in the late 1800’s made all this possible. The bowl the OP has does appear to be typical carnival glass, not the cheap post war glass with the spray on colors. A lot of glassware made in the same time period as carnival glass is called depression era glass. It is generally considered to be of better quality and was often hand made, companies could hire workers for next to nothing and crank out glass items at a competitive price. You often see this as vases and other items that cannot be molded. The glass that glows under an ultra violet light is called Vaseline glass. Uranium oxide was used to color the glass, the irredescence was just a side product. It was banned in the 1940’s, it was thought to be dangerous. Recently there has been a bunch of Vaseline glass imported from China. It is made with a very low radioactive material.