COLLECTIBLE EAPG - EARLY AMERICAN PRESSED GLASS:
Recognizing & Appraising Vintage American Glass

EAPG is an acronym for EARLY AMERICAN PATTERN GLASS, also known as Pressed Glass. Using metal molds that enabled lower costs of manufacturing, it reached its peak around the mid-19th to very early-20thC. The huge variety and range of designs, as well as the ability to add color, enhanced its appeal and soon became the most popular alternative to Blown Glass or Cut Glass or Crystal and other more expensive fabrication methods.

The vast majority of EAPG ware were utilitarian & functional items, while decorative pressed glass in the form of vases and related home decor accessories were made in lower numbers, yet still in significant volumes. Lamps (mostly for Kerosene), stemware, candleholders, serving pieces & tableware, dishes, kitchen accessories, jugs, and a host of other items are now part of the overall repertoire of Early American Pattern or Pressed glass genre and all are very collectible.

Diverse decorative patterns flourished quickly and some became the standard method of recognizing a maker, practically establishing a style as an identifiable feature revealing the manufacturer. Geometric and 3-dimensional surface textures, elegant striations and embedded shapes, variations in opacity, and many other design elements frequently are sufficiently characteristic to attribute certain EAPG wares to specific factories.

Mostly located in the mid-to-upper East Coast of the United States, many Glass factories empowered the local economies, engaging in large-scale production methods that eventually paved the way for significant improvements in manufacturing techniques & methods. In spite of the Great Depression, many of these glassware companies survived by adapting their output to cheaper alternatives for most household items so desperately needed at that time, now known as Depression Glass. Some of the most well-known companies include:

• McKee
• Heisey
• Fostoria

Most collectible EAPG and Pressed Glass items fetch relatively lower prices at auction as of late. Although in the mid-1990s with the advent of online sales venues, some appraisal values of related items skyrocketed, prices have now leveled off and basically reflect the fact that many are of utilitarian nature and were produced in huge quantities, now unearthed from old homes' attics & basements. For this reason, being maintained in perfect condition and having unusual shapes or large sizes seem to be the main determining factors in evaluating early examples.

Recent replicas & reproductions in the older EAPG styles and designs, are of little collectible value but have simply become nostalgic reminders of grandma's kitchen, rather than worth anything in a monetary sense.

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In addition to some examples shown below on this page, you can also search our price guide for your own treasures.