So, what, besides a fuzzy unibrow for my Frida Kahlo Halloween costume, did I find at Gee-Dub this week? A sweet little crystal clear depression glass bowl in the Miss America pattern for $1.99. Life is good.
Depression glass is translucent glassware that was distributed free or at low cost in the United States around the time of the Great Depression, 1929 to the early 1940s. The Quaker Oats Company and other food distributors would include a piece of the glassware inside the box, as an incentive to purchase their product. Movie theaters and business would sometimes hand out the glassware at the door.
Most depression glass was made in the Central and Midwest United States, where access to raw materials and power made it inexpensive to manufacture. Various companies made over 100 patterns. Since it has become highly collectible since the 1960s, it is becoming more and more scarce on the open market.
