Moon and Star Uranium Glass Decanter with Label

Moon and Star Uranium Glass Decanter with Label

Moon and Star glass pattern mystery. This famous pattern dates back to the late 1800’s. First called ‘Palace’ by Early American glassmakers and now known as ‘Moon and Star’. The prolific pattern, with some design adjustments along the way, was in production until the late 1980’s.

This bottle adds yet another dimension to Moon and Star glass. It has a label which reads: ‘Decorative Glass, Ca…..(missing area), Clean by Hand, Made in Spain’. It’s the ‘Made in Spain’ that throws the mystery in. Moon and Star pattern glass is always attributed to an American glass maker, namely ‘L.E. Smith’. Other American makers are known to have produced this pattern too. The oddity is that this bottle’s label clearly states it was made in Spain as decorative glass. It is not a wine bottle, it has never held liquid of any kind. The cork is clean.

In addition, this foreign beauty was made with a 4-part mold (which is considered to be a sign of old age) and contains a minute amount of Uranium which causes the glass to ‘light up’ under black-light. This type of glass dates back to WWI (Uranium replaced lead which was confiscated by the military for the war effort). Often called ‘Vaseline Glass’, which is just a nickname. This type of glass was made until the 1950’s, although in much lesser quantities after the wars. ‘Vaseline’ glass is being reproduced today, but the reproductions are apparent with massive over-glow and thick, crude mold lines.

In excellent condition. Appears to have been unused. Thick and even band of bottom-wear indicates old age, as does the 4-part mold and the uranium glass recipe. In addition, ‘straw marks’ are present on the exterior which is a sign of old fashioned cooling methods. With these clues we can normally designate it as Depression Glass or older. The one feature that does not match Depression age or older is the fact that the cork is in excellent condition. Old corks harden and shrink when subjected to air and we would expect to find a hardened cork on Depression or older glass. Perhaps the bottle was never opened. Or perhaps it is a clever reproduction of vintage age (1960s-1970s). I lean toward Depression era or earlier.

It’s in pristine condition. Stands 12.5″ tall and thick glass weighs 2.5 lbs. The pattern is deeply molded, as if from a fresh mold, and made with thick walled glass.