Carnival glass bowls form part of the large carnival glass collectible items. These are produced by pressing the glass and coating it with an iridescent coating which gives it shiny look. This process is known as doping, hence this glass is also sometimes referred to as dope glass. This process was first adopted in the early 1900s and it lasted only till the mid to late thirties, and today is extinct.
The Fenton company is largely recognized as the first and largest producer of carnival glass. Fenton began life as a company that decorated blank glass produced by other companies. In 1907 they began creating their own carnival glass, which was initially marketed as “Iridill,” or, more simply, iridescent ware when Feton glassware began production. It was an overnight hit and many other companies began turning out and marketing their own carnival glass bowls.
The demand for their products began to decline in the late twenties. The reason for the decline was the decreasing sales during the depresion and partly also due to the saturation of the market by glass companies. To reduce the dead stock companies began to sell their wares at deeply discounted prices to carnivals, which was used by the carnivals as prizes in their games. During this period many companies shut shop.
Carnival glass bowls experienced resurgence in popularity during the fifties. The term “carnival glass” was given to these items by the collectors after learning of their term as carnival prizes. Reproduction of carnival glass bowls were started by many companies. To this day carnival glass, particularly antique Fenton glass, is a prized collectable
At present, auctions, antique shops, and online stores are the best places where one could get carnival glass at various prices. Fenton antique glass as well as other well-known carnival glass fetches high prices. Popular colors of these glasses are marigold, as well as dark hues like blue and green. However, carnival glass bowls in red or pastel color are the costliest item of this category. On a popular auction website, one rare ice-blue plate sold for $16,327.55!
There are many resources available for a would- be collector. Many books and websites are available containing information on antiques, their shapes, colors and where they came from. A great way to learn more about antique collecting is through joining organizations of would-be enthusiast.
Carnival glass bowls are a highly collectible type of glass. They were produced by covering glass with an iridescent, shiny coating. The largest producer of carnival glass was Fenton. Fenton glassware quickly became popular, and other companies started producing carnival glass as well. Due to market saturation and the Great Depression, demand for carnival glass declined sharply in the late 1920s. Today, antique Fenton glass in particular is sought after by collectors, with red and pastel colored pieces considered the most valuable. Many resources are available for those new to collecting, such as websites and books with information on the various types of carnival glass.
