Vintage Guides

What Is a Kugel Ornament? Vintage Guides header from Oddly Darling Vintage
What Is a Kugel Ornament? How to Identify Antique German Kugels and Spot Reproductions
Kugels are heavy, thick-walled antique German glass ornaments from the 1800s. Learn their history, shapes and colors, how to recognize real kugels by weight and caps, and how to spot... Read more...
Mercury Glass Christmas Ornaments guide header, Oddly Darling Vintage
Mercury Glass Christmas Ornaments: How to Identify and Date Vintage Glass Ornaments
From German Lauscha ornaments to Shiny Brite and Christopher Radko, learn the history of mercury glass Christmas ornaments, how to date them by caps and silvering, how to spot new... Read more...
Uranium, manganese and cadmium glowing glass guide header, Oddly Darling Vintage
Glowing Glass: Uranium, Manganese, Cadmium and Lead Crystal Under UV Light
Why does some vintage glass glow under a black light? Learn how to tell uranium, manganese, cadmium and lead crystal apart by their glow colors, which UV light to use,... Read more...
Swung Vases vintage glass guide header with Fenton hobnail opalescent swung vases, Oddly Darling Vintage
Swung Vases: A Guide to These Tall, Stretched Vintage Glass Vases
Swung vases are tall, stretched vintage glass vases, and no two are alike. Learn how they were made, makers to look for, popular colors and how to display them. Read more...
Cut Glass vs Pressed Glass guide header, Oddly Darling Vintage
Cut Glass vs Pressed Glass: How to Tell Your Vintage Glassware Apart
Is it brilliant cut glass or pressed glass? Learn simple tests to tell them apart, spot quality vintage glassware, and display it beautifully. Read more...
Millefiori Glass Beads guide header with vintage millefiori bead bracelet, Oddly Darling Vintage
What Is Millefiori Glass? A Guide to Millefiori Beads, Paperweights and Murano Style Jewelry
A thousand flowers frozen in glass: here's how millefiori is made, where it comes from, and how to tell Venetian Murano millefiori from Murano style. Read more...
Fenton vs Anchor Hocking Moonstone opalescent hobnail glass guide header, Oddly Darling Vintage
Fenton or Anchor Hocking Moonstone? How to Tell Opalescent Hobnail Glass Apart
White hobs on clear glass could be Fenton or Anchor Hocking's 1940s Moonstone. Here's how to tell opalescent hobnail glass apart. Read more...
Vintage clear glass mini perfume bottle with pewter iris and butterfly overlay
Collecting Vintage Perfume Bottles: Overlay, Czech Crystal, Atomizers and Minis
Perfume runs out. The bottles stick around. A friendly guide to the main kinds of vintage perfume bottles, from silver and pewter overlay to Czech crystal, atomizers and miniatures, plus... Read more...
Vintage Indiana Glass red carnival glass basket in iridescent Sunset amberina with ruby handle
Tiara Exclusives & Indiana Glass: A Collector's Guide to Home Party Glass
Amber Sandwich goblets, jewel-toned vases and a famous parrot vase: Tiara Exclusives brought Indiana Glass to living rooms through home parties. Here's its history, colors, marks and how to tell... Read more...
Lancaster's Indian Vegetable Jaundice Bitters miniature bottle in purple amethyst glass with a cork stopper, from Oddly Darling Vintage
Vintage Apothecary and Bitters Bottles: How to Date Old Glass Bottles, Pontil Marks and Wheaton Reproductions
Old bitters and apothecary bottles are full of clues, from mold seams to pontil marks. Here's how to date an old glass bottle, what each kind of pontil scar means,... Read more...
Vintage Imperial Glass jade slag glass owl lid with amber eyes
What Is Slag Glass? A Vintage Collector's Guide to Swirled Glass
Swirled like marble and never quite the same twice, slag glass has been delighting collectors since the 1880s. Here's what it is, who made it, and how to tell old... Read more...
Pair of vintage reverse painted convex glass silhouette pictures
Reverse Painted Silhouette Pictures: How to Identify and Date Bubble Glass Art
Those domed glass pictures with black silhouettes over garden scenes were a 1930s–50s favorite. Here's how they were made, who made them, and how to tell what you've got. Read more...
Vintage F.B. Rogers pressed glass salt and pepper shakers in original box
Pressed Glass vs. Cut Crystal: How to Tell the Difference
Sharp edges, mold seams, a ring when tapped and weight in the hand. Here's how to tell pressed glass from cut crystal. Read more...
What Is a Fairy Lamp? Victorian fairy lamp guide header, Oddly Darling Vintage
What Is a Fairy Lamp? A Guide to Victorian and Vintage Fairy Lamps
Fairy lamps are small glass candle lamps with a domed shade, first made as Victorian night lights and revived in the 1950s. Here's their history, how to tell an antique... Read more...
Vintage Jeannette Shell Pink milk glass creamer in the Baltimore Pear pattern
What Is Milk Glass? A Guide to Collecting Vintage Milk Glass, Makers and Colors
Milk glass is one of the most loved and most collected vintage glasses. Here's what it is, how to tell vintage from new, the big American makers to know, and... Read more...
Vintage Murano style sommerso art glass cat in cobalt and aqua blue cased in clear glass
What Is Sommerso Glass? A Guide to Murano's Layered Art Glass
Sommerso glass layers bright colors inside thick clear glass, a technique made famous on Murano. Here's what it is, where it came from, and how to tell good vintage sommerso... Read more...
Indiana Glass blue carnival glass pedestal compote with lid in the Harvest grape pattern, from Oddly Darling Vintage
What Is Carnival Glass? A Guide to Iridescent Pressed Glass, Colors and Makers
Carnival glass is pressed glass with a shimmering rainbow surface, once given away as fairground prizes and now one of the most collected kinds of American glass. Here's what it... Read more...