Carnival Glass, originally called Iridescent Ware, first came out in late 1907. It was not commonly referred to as Carnival Glass until the 1950s, though, when collectors started calling it that. These pieces were typically made from extremely ornate glass pieces, characterized by the myriad hues of their sheens. Their luster was achieved by applying metallic salt sprays to the glass before it had completely cooled down.
Carnival glass is an inexpensive pressed glass, made as both functional and ornamental objects, found in a wide spectrum of colors. This glass is sometimes referred to as dope glass by the glass workers because the process of applying the iridescent coloring to the surface is called doping. Its production started in 1907 in many different pieces in over 150 patterns. However, it did not command the prices expected, and was subsequently discounted.
The glass is produced in various translucent colors. Primarily amongst these are amethyst, marigold, cobalt, green, and red. Sometimes it is also made in opaque white which is called milk glass. A semi-transparent or translucent pale-green hue was also available before the widespread knowledge of radiation hazards. this glass was called Vaseline or uranium glass. Both of these contain traces of uranium salts which gives the glass a faint green glow when exposed to UV light.
Among the greatest producers of this type of glass was Millersburg glass Company in Ohio. The first glass products by that company were crystal however the Millersburg plant decided to follow success for iridescent glassware. So in the beginning of 1910 the Millersburg Company started its line of Radium glasswares
The prices of Carnival glass vary widely depending on their quality and availability. This glass is a highly collectible item with some of the pieces worth very little, while other, rarer items command thousands of dollars. There is a very active market for this item since it has become an antique glass collectible.
It is very hard to identify carnival glass. Most of the time, the makers didn’t mark their work, others only marked them part of the time. To figure out who made the glass one has to match, patterns, colors, sheen, edges, thickness and some other factors from old trade catalogs, examples of prior work or a reference material. Many manufacturers made close copies of rivals popular works to. So even for an experienced expert this is a hard task.
Carnival glass or Iridescent Ware was introduced in 1907 and had a metallic sheen from a spray of salts when hot. This inexpensive pressed glass, also known as dope glass is made for functional/ornamental objects. Due to lack of demand price was discounted. Available colors are primarily amethyst/marigold/cobalt/green/red. Vaseline or uranium glass had uranium salts and hence was discontinued. Millersburg glass Company was the greatest producer of this type of glass. Initially this was made as crystal and later on as iridescent glassware. The prices vary depending on their quality/availability. This is antique glass collectible and has market. Identification of this glass is based on patterns/colors/sheen/edges/thickness etc.