Product Description: Since the first edition of Collectors Encyclopedia of Depression Glass was released in 1972, it has been Americas #1 bestselling glass book. Gene and Cathy Florence now present this completely revised seventeenth edition with 156 patterns and almost 400 beautiful color photographs. With the assistance of several nationally known dealers, this book illustrates, as well as realistically prices, items in demand. Dealing primarily with the glass made from the 1920s through the end of the 1930s, this beautiful reference book contains stunning color photographs, vintage catalog pages, updated values, and a special section on reissues and fakes. In addition, for the first time all the pieces in the photographs are identified and cross-referenced with their listings. This dependable information comes from years of research, experience, fellow dealers and collectors, and millions of miles traveled by full-time glass dealers Gene and Cathy Florence, Americas leading glassware authorities.
WONDERFUL REFERENCE BOOK VERY HAPPY WITH THE DETAILS AND INFORMATION ABOUT DEPRESSION GLASS. I HAVE ABOUT 300 PIECES AND AM NOW ABLE TO IDENTIFY MORE OF MY COLLECTION.
Gene Florance....excellent for knowledge of depression glass and collectibles anyone interested in finding out what they have or what to look for, as far as depression glass or collectible glass, Gene Florance is the person to look for. I've got most editions of his books. and my parents also swore by his books. every edition has a little something extra, different or new. easy to follow and excellent pictures!
must have for depression glass collectors A must have book for begining collectors of depression glass -- good pricing - if you don't buy on e-bay - if you go to the glass shows gives you fair prices for most items -- e-bay buyers - GOOD LUCK, most everything is WAY, way over the value of the item you want.
Great except index & table of contents Best book out there for dealers of depression glass, but they forgot a usable index or table of contents. To make matters worse, some patterns are alphabetized as No. ###. No index of alternate names (some patterns have 3 or 4 commonly used names). The table of contents is the same as the alphabetical listing by page, totally useless. The official company name is the pattern name it is ordered under, regardless of the popularity of other names.
Pictures are great. Many prices have been reduced in this 2007 version, bringing pricing into line with what you should pay/charge. Common pieces (cups, small plates, etc.) can be got on eBay for about 1/2, but more in demand pieces (cereal bowls, dinner plates, serving pieces, tumblers) go for just about what is in the book. Verbiage for patterns normally indicates the marketability of the pattern, but wish there was a prominent "popularity score" above each color the pattern comes in. Some colors in some patterns have absolutely no buyers, which is an extremely valuable piece of information. Would recommend using --,-,+,++.
They use a purist definition of depression, so you'll have to also buy the 40s 50s 60s book to complete your reference of what is commonly known as depression glass. There are pictures for about 1/2 of the pieces available, and generally a larger closeup for pattern identification. Success of pattern identification is probably 95% (best we've seen).
An Essential for New Collectors Like many people who collect depression glass, I stumbled into it while breaking up housekeeping in my grandmother's house last summer. As we went through her cabinets and packed up the things she couldn't take to her assisted living facility, I found numerous pieces of pretty colored glass that I took simply because I enjoyed the various colors and patterns. When my mom suggested that some of it was depression-era glass, I went to the library and found a previous edition of the Florence's book and went nuts when I saw what these pieces were worth. My grandma did too! Later that fall, the book was indispensible when we were cleaning out my great-grandmother's house to put it up for auction. I found 5 large boxes full of glass. This book was very useful in helping catagorize what I had, and how much to insure all of it for.
This edition of the book is great because of it's photographs of each pattern. It makes it very easy to identify a lot of pieces just on sight. It also contains extremely useful information on reproductions which is fantastic to have when looking for glass, particularily at flea markets, estate sales and online where a lot of people mislabel patterns. The pricing is also helpful so you can see when people are simply trying to make a huge profit, rather than asking a reasonable amount.
The reason I only gave this book 4 stars, though, is because there are many patterns that are not included in this edition. In the foreward, it's stated that not all patterns are contained because it would cause the price of the book to increase. However, by excluding several patterns, you are forced to purchase another book which means spending more money as well. The book is also difficult to bring along to antique stores because of it's size--most stores won't let you bring in a large purse or bag. But overall, if you are a new collector or looking to become one, this is an important book to have in your library.
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