- Posts about Old Colony Depression Glass
- Basic Information
- Pieces Hocking Made
- Availability and Pricing
- Reproduction, Look Alike and Damage Concerns
Posts about Old Colony Depression Glass
Old Colony Depression Glass from Hocking, Open Lace Border Design
Open Lace Old Colony Lace Edge – What’s In a Name Pink Saturday
Old Colony Pink Depression Glass Relish Tray – Pink Saturday
Pink Saturday – Really Neat Old Colony Pink Depression Glass Relish Tray
What Is Pink, Pretty and Way Down in Price?
Gorgeous Hocking Depression Glass Candy Jars and Dishes – Eye Candy!
Depression Glass Candle Holders from Hocking – Queen Mary, Manhattan, Oyster and Pearl
Antiquing with Your Best Friend – Candle Holders All Sparkly
Use Your Imagination and Empathy with Vintage Glass
Katy Laced Edge Depression Glass from Imperial (somewhat similar pattern)
Jubilee and Other Lancaster Depression Glass Patterns (similar patterns)
Glass Patterns from the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s Identification Guide (similar pattern)
Coronation – An Uplifting Name During the Depression (tumblers similar to Old Colony)
Lancaster Glass – More Designs and Colors of the Depression Era (similar pattern)
Avoid Reproduction Pink Depression Glass – Collecting Fun
5 Tips to Collect Depression Glass
Three Reasons to Love Depression Glass
Eye Candy from the 2016 Depression Glass Show
American Sweetheart – Interesting Pieces in a Pink Depression Glass Safe Pattern
American Sweetheart Pretty in Pink MacBeth Evans Depression Glass
Basic Information about Old Colony
Hocking Glass made Old Colony during the last half of the Great Depression, from 1935 to 1938, in pink with some crystal and one bowl in light green which is uncommon. Basically this is a pink depression glass pattern. Look for some lovely frosted pink pieces too.
All plates, bowls, essentially any piece you would not drink from, has the curved open lacy edge as does the divided platter above, and most have a rayed star impressed on the base. Some pieces, tumblers, cups, creamers, sugars, have ribs on the side as does this covered candy jar.
You may find some bowls with both a smooth and a ribbed variant. This bowl has smooth sides but there is one just like it with ribs.
Old Colony Pieces Colony Made
A reader sent me this photo of her collection which I use with thanks. She has a stunning assortment!
Hocking apparently marketed Old Colony both as dinnerware and as a suite of decorative accessories. For table use they made 3 plates, salad, luncheon, and a 10 1/2 inch dinner plus a grill plate, a cereal and a salad bowl for place settings, sherbet, cup and saucer. This is the saucer followed by cereal bowl. Note the saucer lacy edge has thicker glass.
There are several interesting serving pieces beyond the usual. There are 2 oval platters, plain and divided into 5 parts, and two round serving plates 13 inches wide. One of the serving plates has solid lace, meaning there are no holes between the curved sections, presumably to increase durability. Here is the oval platter. The solid lace would look the same at first glance but one would feel the difference immediately.
There are two relish dishes not including the large divided platter. One is more like a divided shallow bowl that’s 7 1/2 inches with 3 sections and one is the more usual shape of a round plate with 3 sections, as shown at the top of the page.
Hocking made a pretty serving bowl, 9 1/2 wide, that you may find either plain as shown here or with ribbed lower sides and ribbed lace. Also look for a slightly larger 10 1/2 inch bowl with 3 feet. This is the plain sided 9 1/2 inch bowl.
Besides these typical serving pieces, look for more. Hocking made a round covered butter dish with lid that is the same as the individual salad bowl topped with the same lid for the candy jar shown and the footed bon bon/comport. The cookie jar is round like a ball, 5 inches tall. You can see the comport and covered butter and cookie jar in the display cabinet photo from Veronica N above.
There is no pitcher aside from the creamer although three tumblers, a 9 ounce flat water and two footed tumblers that hold 5 or 10 1/2 ounces. The flat tumblers don’t look like part of the Old Colony pattern unless you are familiar with the pattern piece line up as there is no defining open lace and the glasses are slightly flared with vertical ribs, much like other vintage tumblers. The footed tumbler has scalloped feet that lack open holes.
In decorative accessories, look for the candle holder, fish bowl, vase and flower bowl. The candle holder has a squared-off round, ribbed base and open lace at the top to form the candle cup. I’ve not seen the fish bowl in either photos or in person, but believe it is a large ball that holds a gallon with the open lace along the top edge. The vase is rounded on the base with open lace atop the slimmer neck.
Look in the upper right hand corner in the photo below for the Old Colony candle holder. The photo from Veronica N has 2 candle holders, both frosted with flowers in the top shelf.
This is the flower bowl. It is the same base as the candy jar shown above but with a crystal flower frog insert. Of course you can remove the frog and use as an open bowl too.
Old Colony Availability and Pricing
We found the odd piece or small grouping of Old Colony when we shopped for glass. Notably, in 20 years we got only 9 pieces (at the time we only bought for resale, thus price was a big factor in what we purchased). The two pieces we had 2 or 3 of were the 9 1/2 inch smooth-sided serving bowl and the flower/candy set. I got the flower and candy set fairly early on but don’t recall where. We certainly did not come across pieces at flea markets or many estate sales.
Looking online July 2024 I see most pieces listed. I cannot vouch for condition but it appears you could get enough for a family dinner or dessert with friends. The vase, tumblers, sherbet were not abundant.
You likely will find some Open Lace at depression glass shows. Here is a fairly large grouping one dealer had that included several patterns.
If you look closely at displays you will find onsie-twosie groups like these next ones.
Without checking listings in depth to factor in condition and shipping, the prices overall appear to be less than Florence’s suggested book values in his 2010 Collector’s Encyclopedia of Depression Glass. There is quite a bit of variability – and remember asking prices on eBay may not be the selling prices – but it seems prices are considerably less for tumblers and perhaps 30-50% less for plates or more common bowls.
If you decide to purchase online then do your homework and check condition and shipping along with list price, and it may be wise to browse for a few weeks before plunging in.
Reproductions, Look-Alikes and Damage Concerns
The good news is Hocking’s Old Colony has not been reproduced. The bad news is there are several patterns from other companies with open lace type edges that were made during the depression, and that Anchor Hocking made a milk glass pattern called “Lace Edge” from 1959-1976. Here’s how to spot true Old Colony.
- Color. If you find any color other than light pink or frosted pink you likely have a piece from a different company.
- Pieces Made: Many of the other patterns have pieces different from the Old Colony shapes.
- Lace Design: Lancaster made the most similar pattern but the other companies’ designs differ in the lace. Take a good look at the Old Colony photographed here and on reputable sites such as Replacements and note the lace alternates squared-off rounds or ovals with smaller round holes.
Let’s look at the main contenders for confusion. First Anchor Hocking/Fire King’s Lace Edge is milk glass and to the best of my knowledge they did not make pink or clear. The lace edge is quite different.
This plate photographed here should not confuse anyone as the lace is quite different and it is white or white with painted designs This is the only piece in this 1960s Fire King pattern that has this shape of lace rim. The rest of the pattern line has the rim shown on the sherbet below.
Most of the other Anchor Hocking pieces have an extra little rounded point between evenly-shaped openings. True Old Colony alternates round or oval holes with smaller round holes. This is the 60s Open Lace sherbet.
Imperial made several patterns with lacy edges but the lace glass is usually thin and the shapes are different. This Katy bowl is a good example. Notice how thin and rod like the glass is around the holes.
The closest and most confusing look-alikes are Lancaster Open Work. You can find pieces in light yellow, light green and pink, plain and with cut or painted flower designs. Here are two of the pieces we owned.
I do not know whether the pieces measure the same as the similar Hocking Old Colony ones, but do take a close look at the lace openings. The Open Work holes are larger relative to the glass surround and also slightly more arched. You should be able to tell the patterns apart if you have similar pieces once you get familiar with the look and feel.
Hocking and Lancaster were sister companies, so it is not surprising the designs are similar.
Damage Concerns. Several Old Colony pieces we had had tiny nicks on the inside edges of the lace holes and one piece had a small chip on the outside bottom of the lace. Not surprising when you look at the design! Only you can decide whether round inside edges on the holes matter to you, but do check the holes and the outside edge and under the lace too.
Some of the pieces have small ridges around the join of the lace to the body so check that too as well as any inner rims. The plates have impressed stars in the centers which will help disguise any scratches or wear.
Summary
If you are looking for a different sort of depression glass pattern, or simply enjoy vintage pink glassware, then check out Old Colony. The pieces are attractive and include a wide range of decorative accessories and dinnerware, it is reasonably available online and has never been reproduced.