Antiques & Collecting: Iridescent glass

In the late 19th century, interior decorator Louis Comfort Tiffany was in search of new colors to use in his leaded glass windows. He hired glassmaker Arthur J. Nash to make iridescent glass. The company was producing iridescent vases and accessories by 1894.

It is said that Tiffany was inspired by glass he saw in Europe, possibly ancient glass from 19th-century archaeological digs.

Glass has been made for thousands of years, with the earliest known blown glass made in Jerusalem about 50 B.C., and evidence that glassblowing was practiced in Italy about the same time.

As bottle diggers know, glass slowly corrodes from exposure to the moisture and chemicals present in soil. This corrosion causes the surface to refract light in different ways, creating a shimmering, multicolor effect.

Tiffany imitated this effect by coating the glass they made with metallic salts. Buyers liked the look; many other glassmakers made their own versions of iridescent glass.

Today’s collectors love it, too. Tiffany iridescent glass, which Louis Comfort Tiffany called Favrile, often sells for high prices.

This Tiffany Favrile compote with iridescent hues of gold and blue sold for $1,071 at Forsythe’s Auctions, more than doubling its presale high estimate of $400.

I have three to four old iron standing ashtrays which I have been using as plant stands. Are they worth anything?

Using old standing ashtrays as plant stands is a fantastic way to repurpose antiques. Iron standing ashtrays can sell for anywhere from about $50 to $300. The value of yours depends on their condition, age and maker.

Art deco designs of the 1920s and 1930s, when standing ashtrays were at their most popular, tend to sell for higher prices.

If you can identify a maker, the value will be higher; especially if they were made by any of the famous ironsmiths active in the art deco period.

Tip: Glass signatures, including Steuben, Quezal and Tiffany, are being faked. Do not trust a signature. Be sure the glass is the proper shape to have been made by the original factory or artist. Fake marks are written with a diamond-tipped drill or are acid-stamped. All look real.

Current Prices

Coin-operated, gum, Select-O-Matic, Package Gum, 5 cents, yellow ground, multicolor graphics, nickel plate base, 20 inches, $70.

Stoneware, bottle, dark brown glaze, impressed lettering, “P” in diamond, Pfannenbecker, Paterson, N.J., 10 1/2 inches, $100.

Capo di Monte, urn, dome cover, figural side handles, fauns seated on animal mask, grapevines, multicolor, gilt trim, square base, 17 inches, $120.

Rug, penny, three dots on each disc, multicolor, six-sided, fringe border, table, 19th century, 30 x 52 inches, $125.

Toy, dollhouse furniture, bed, Sheraton, bird’s-eye maple, figured headboard and footboard, turned posts, brass casters, four parts, mid 1800s, 23 x 18 x 26 inches, $750.

Copper, box, hinged lid, latch closure, repousse, patinated, enamel, multicolor glass cabochons, green velvet lining, marked, Alfred Daguet, 1907, 8 x 4 inches, $895.