Why Should We Collect & Preserve Glass?
Antique, vintage and most retro glass was made of authentic silicate glass (until approximately 1980). Collectible glass was made before the days of modern polymer based glass.
Old glass is organic and was energy intensive to produce. New glass made with polymers replacing costly metals melts at a much lower temperature and is much less expensive to produce. Most modern glass is not true glass, it is a man-made glass-like substance.
The days of producing authentic glass made of metals, natural pigments, silicon and minerals are over. This is why it’s so important to collect, document and preserve glass from the past.
Glass Research
Researching glass is educational and fun. Thanks to the internet we have many sources for glass identification.
You can view over 850 glass objects from the past in the Retro Art Glass Museum. Most are identified. Visitors can add remarks to items within the museum and get feedback, including value estimation. Entry to the Glass Museum for a month is only 3.99.
Below are a few of our favorite glass research articles and websites.
Do you have questions about your glass? Ask an Expert:
- We’ve developed an easy and free method to get feedback about your glass from the Retro Art Glass staff on our Facebook page.
- Go to the Retro Art Glass Facebook page.
Important: Click the Retro Art Glass Facebook page ‘Like’ button. - Click on Message (next to the Like button)
- Post images of the glass object your are curious about. Be sure to add additional information if you have it.