Carnival glass bowls form a part of a larger

March 28, 2008 on 10:07 pm | In Arts, General, Home |

Carnival glass bowls form a part of a larger set of collectibles called carnival glass. Carnival glass is an inexpensive pressed glass to which an iridescent coating is applied or sprayed on, giving it an oil-like sheen. The process is known as doping, and hence the term “dope glass” was given to this particular form of glass. Being initially produced in the early 1900s the sales started to fall in the late thirties.

The company Fenton was the first and largest, widely recognized carnival glass producer. Fenton initially began life as a company which decorated blank glass produced by other companies. In 1907 it started creating carnival glass. When production started, Fenton glassware was marketed as “Iridill” or “iridescent ware”. This was an instant hit and several other companies began producing and marketing their own carnival glass bowls.

In the late 20es, request for their products started to fade. This was caused by the decrease in sales during Depression time, and partly to the saturation of the market by glass companies too. To eliminate stock, companies started selling their wares at strongly discounted prices to carnivals, that then is used as prizes for their games. Many companies got out of business during that period.

Carnival glass bowls experienced resurgence in popularity during the fifties. The term “carnival glass” was given to these items by the collectors after learning of their term as carnival prizes. Reproduction of carnival glass bowls were started by many companies. To this day carnival glass, particularly antique Fenton glass, is a prized collectable

At present, auctions, antique shops, and online stores are the best places where one could get carnival glass at various prices. Fenton antique glass as well as other well-known carnival glass fetches high prices. Popular colors of these glasses are marigold, as well as dark hues like blue and green. However, carnival glass bowls in red or pastel color are the costliest item of this category. On a popular auction website, one rare ice-blue plate sold for $16,327.55!

There are many resources available for a would- be collector. Many books and websites are available containing information on antiques, their shapes, colors and where they came from. A great way to learn more about antique collecting is through joining organizations of would-be enthusiast.

One great collectible is carnival glass bowls. These are produced by pressing the glass and coating it which gives it shiny look. This process is known as doping, hence this glass is also sometimes referred to as dope glass. Adopted in the early 1900s it lasted only till the mid to late thirties, and today is extinct. One company, fenton glassware was marketed as “Iridill” or iridescent ware. It quickly became a hit and many other companies began copying them. The demand for their products began to decline in the late twenties. Today, both the antique fenton glass and the later styles are prized.

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