Antiques & Collecting: Opal glass

Crystal, amethyst, amber, emerald, ruby: Decorative glass is often made to capture the vivid color and intense sparkle of gemstones. It isn’t limited to transparent stones, either.

A type of opaque matte glass called opal glass, or opaline, became popular in Europe in the mid-19th century.

Inspired by Venetian lattimo, or milk glass, made since the 1500s and English Bristol glass of the 1700s, opal glass is a semi-opaque glass, usually white or a light color, with a slight iridescent sheen.

Decorators found that it made a beautiful background for gilt or enamel designs, like this blue opaline vase that sold at Alderfer Auction for $307.

The auction described the vase as “French style,” and opaline was at its most popular in France in the mid- to late-1800s. About the same time, the opal gemstone experienced a resurgence in popularity.

Believed to have magic powers and healing properties in ancient and medieval times, it was considered unlucky in the 1800s.

One of the superstitions surrounding it is that, as the October birthstone, it brought bad luck to any wearer born in any other month.

However, Queen Victoria, who was born in May, defied superstitions with her love of opals. She wore opal jewelry, gave it as gifts and promoted the newly established Australian opal mines.

By the art nouveau period of the late 1800s, opals were a favorite stone for jewelry. Perhaps this influenced the popularity of opal glass.

I am wondering how much my 1932 Luke Appling jersey might be worth. The interesting thing about this jersey is that it is the only year that Mr. Appling wore the No. 8 over his historic career.

Luke Appling was a shortstop for the Chicago White Sox from 1930 to 1950. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.

Game-worn jerseys are some of the most valuable items in sports collecting; recently, the jersey Babe Ruth wore for the 1932 World Series sold for $24.1 million at Heritage Auctions, a record price for sports collectibles.

Important factors include the jersey’s age, condition, rarity and historical significance. If your jersey is a game-worn one, not a replica, it could be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.

An autographed Luke Appling White Sox jersey from 1947 sold for over $4,000 in 2009, while a 1937 Luke Appling game-worn jersey sold for $20,400 in 2017 at Heritage Auctions.

Sports Collectors Digest, at sportscollectorsdigest.com, owned by the same company as Kovels Antique Trader, has more specific information about sports collectibles.

Tip: Do not wash or rinse gold-decorated glass with very hot water or strong soap. It will remove some of the gold.

Current Prices

Peanuts, wristwatch, stainless steel, red dial, Snoopy, dancing, arms move, Woodstock, numeral and bar indices, red band, windup, 1965, 8 inches, $60.

Quilt, patchwork, pinwheel, yellow and red pinwheel blocks alternate with green blocks, wide red border, hand sewn, Pennsylvania, c. 1900, 76 x 79 inches, $185.

Print, Ransom, Fletcher C., Yer Out, baseball scene, home plate, Christy Mathewson throwing out Honus Wagner, signed, frame, 22 x 26 inches, $450.