Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Colored Glass
By Terry and Kim Kovel
Colored Glass
Amethyst, a variety of quartz with a vivid purple color, is the birthstone for February. It's also a highly sought color for decorative glass. Colored glass is made by adding metallic oxides or salts to the raw material. Amethyst glass often gets its color from manganese, which along with iron, also gives the natural gemstone its color.
Amethyst glass was made to resemble the purple stone. The simple design of this pressed glass vase puts the focus on its color. PHOTO CREDIT: Kovels.com
Colored glass has been made since ancient times but experienced a surge in popularity in the mid-19th century, when lime became a substitute for lead in glassmaking. This tulip-shaped amethyst glass vase was made between about 1845 and 1865 by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company, one of the most important American glass manufacturers. It is pressed glass, which emerged in the 1820s with the invention of the pressing machine.
The earliest pressed glass patterns, often called "lacy," were designed to conceal flaws in the glass. Glassmaking techniques and tools improved by the 1840s, and simpler patterns became popular. Notice how this vase does not have the intricate, heavily textured patterns often associated with pressed glass; it consists of simple shapes and flat panels. The Boston & Sandwich company made it in several other colors as well as clear glass, all of which are desirable. The one shown here sold for $960 at an auction by Jeffrey S. Evans.
Q: I have several classical music albums, etc., and would like to know what they are worth. I have the single record Brahms Violin Concerto, Heifetz, Chicago Symphony and albums Rachmaninoff Concerto 32 in C Minor OP 18. The balance are Time Life Record Albums: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.
A: Record collecting experienced a resurgence in the 2010s and continues to grow. Many factors affect a record's price: its format (33 rpm, 45 rpm, 78 rpm, 12-inch, 7-inch, etc.), the label that released it, its release date, condition and album art. Condition is probably the most important. Unless they are buying sealed, never-used records, most collectors buy them to listen to them. They find the sound quality superior to digital recordings. If a collector doesn't intend to listen to the record, they often want to display it as art. Unfortunately, classical records tend to sell for lower prices than rock, blues and jazz. There are websites where you can find more information about your records and check their prices. Try Discogs (discogs.com), Goldmine Magazine (goldminemag.com), or Money Music (moneymusic.com).
TIP: If a stain in a glass vase or bottle is caused by a chemical deposit, fill the vase with water, drop in an Alka-Seltzer, and let it soak for about 24 hours. Rub the stain with a brush or a cloth.
CURRENT PRICES
Textile, pillow, Fornasetti, cream ground, stylized sun faces, printed, cotton, tag, 17 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches, $95.
Toy, wagon, Hy-Speed, red, white lettering, oval bed, fenders, splash guard, pull handle, 1930s, 12 inch-bed, $330.
Sampler, alphabet, multicolor, cross borders, landscape scene, flowering plant in urn, two pine trees, Peggy Bartlett, Massachusetts, frame, 1801, 14 1/2 x 15 inches, $1,355.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.