August 2004 Alerts on Confusing Collectibles

New glass hen covered dishes that look a lot like old ones are being made today. So if you’re shopping for pressed glass at flea markets and house sales, you should know what you’re looking at. Some new pieces are made from old Imperial or Westmoreland molds, which only makes a collector’s job harder. Here are a few clues to help:

Check the fit of the top to the bottom. The fit on reproductions tends to be less tight.

Compare the pattern of the bottom bowl or nest to the an original. Many new bottoms are made in patterns never used on originals.

New pieces are often made in colors never used for old dishes. And many of the new colors have been “carnivalized” (they look like carnival glass).

Compare the hen’s tail with the tail of an original. Many new tails lack the detailed design on originals.

Don’t trust a mark. New pieces can carry the marks of old companies.

Many of today’s reproductions are made by the Summit Art Glass Co. of Ravenna, Ohio, or by Mosser Glass, Inc., of Cambridge, Ohio. Wholesale Glass Dealers, Inc., of Port Vue, Pennsylvania, sells new hen dishes for $27 to $39.