Adam to Windsor - What's that? - By: Murray Hughes

In Depression Glass parlance, "from Adam to Windsor" refers to
the alphabetical order in which collector's guides typically
list all the patterns of the seven largest glass companies that
produced this now-collectible glassware. Some of these companies
made the lucky (or smart) decision to re-tool with the machinery
necessary to produce this new, mass-produced glassware before
the stock market crash of 1929, which enabled them not only to
survive the Great Depression, but also to continue onward to
perfecting and expanding their product lines.

Hazel-Atlas, Hocking, Indiana, Federal, U.S. Glass,
MacBeth-Evans, and Jeanette made up these seven glass companies,
and between them all, 92 designs came about to brighten the
lives of people living just before, during, and just after the
grim days of the Great Depression.

U.S. Glass was actually a combination of companies that rallied
together to survive the economic downturn.

For the sake of brevity, the following information touches upon
only the first and last of these 92 designs. Hopefully, the
reader will go on to research the remaining designs to further
expand their knowledge of these brilliant designs that came from
the minds of artists in those days - without the use of
computer-aided technology!

As one might assume, the first of these patterns
(alphabetically, not chronologically) turned out to be Adam,
produced by the Jeanette Glass Company for three years,
beginning in 1932. Jeanette�s Adam pattern embraced the Art Deco
movement of the time period with its geometrical squares and
conical shapes that beautifully complemented the flower-and-leaf
floral motifs. Produced in green, pink, yellow, dark green, and
crystal (clear), Jeanette manufactured utilized the Adam design
in 37 pieces, and many reproductions of this design find their
way into the marketplace � notably, a yellow butter dish
notorious among knowledgeable dealers and collectors as a fake.

Windsor, coincidentally another pattern from Jeanette, first
reached Depression-era consumers in 1936. Because of its
popularity - which translated to sales - Jeanette continued to
produce Windsor for the next 11 years, completing its run in
1946. Also available in 37 pieces, Windsor could be bought in
six colors: green, pink, blue, ruby, dark green, and crystal.
The appeal of the Windsor design lay in its similarity to the
cut-glass look that became so popular toward the end of the
1930s and lasted well into the 40s.

These two patterns claim a place as classics among collectors,
but so do many of the other 90 designs that lie alphabetically
between Adam and Windsor. Hopefully, your appetite has been
whetted enough to learn about at least some of the remaining
patterns - like Avocado, the very first pattern, made in 1923;
or English Hobnail, first manufactured in 1928 and continuing on
until 1983; or Radiance, a Depression-era glassware made well
enough that the New Martinsville Glass Company eschewed the
typical designs used to cover up flaws in other patterns; or -
the list goes on.

Both the Adam and Windsor patterns, classics among collectors,
are but two of the many patterns coveted by Depression Glass
fans the world over. Hopefully this bit of information about a
fraction of the 90 designs that lie between will suffice to whet
the appetites of novice Depression Glass aficionados enough to
further their knowledge of the rest. And once accomplishing
this, patterns from the remaining dozen or so glassware
companies that produced Depression Glass await investigation.
It's easy to see why Depression Glass collectors become
collectors for life!

In Depression Glass parlance, "from Adam to Windsor" refers to
the alphabetical order in which collector's guides typically
list all the patterns of the seven largest glass companies that
produced this now-collectible glassware.

If you enjoyed this article by Murray Hughes, then visit
http:www.//DepressionGlassSecrets.com now and enroll in the free
Depression Glass course "The 5 Essential Steps To Becoming A
Depression Glass Collector"