- Posts about Princess Depression Glass
- Basic Information about Princess Depression Glass
- Princess Pieces Hocking Made
- Availability and Pricing
- Reproduction and Damage Concerns
Posts about Princess Depression Glass
Pink and Green Depression Glass Squared – Princess
Princess Pink Depression Glass from Hocking – Cinderella No More
Let’s See Yellow for a Change – Topaz Princess Depression Glass
Princess in Green – Depression Glass from Hocking Princess, Pretty Princess Pink Depression Glass
Princess Pink Depression Glass Table for Four – Tablescape Thursday
Berries Anyone? Princess Pink Depression Glass Bowl
Pink Saturday – Pretty as a Princess – Depression Glass
Pink Saturday – Princess Pink Depression Glass Cup for Tea
A Wearin’ of the Green – Princess Green Depression Glass Hat Bowl
Pink Saturday: Pretty Princess in Pink
Serving in Style – Princess Pink Depression Glass Bowl
Pretty as a Princess – Pink Depression Glass for Saturday
Depression Era Glass Sherbet Plates
Princess Green Depression Glass Grill Plate with Closed Tab Handles
Bought Pretty Princess Pink Depression Glass Yesterday
Finally! I got some Princess Pink Depression Glass Listed
Basic Information about Princess Depression Glass
Hocking Glass made Princess from 1931 to 1935 – a longer period than many patterns – in green, topaz yellow, pink and a few pieces in light blue. The topaz has color variations with some pieces nearly amber, sometimes called apricot. All the colors are pretty. You might find some pieces with a satinized finish. Top of the page shows green, the same green that Hocking used for Block Optic and Cameo, below are topaz and pink. Pink creamer and sugar with satinized finish shown after the other colors.
Pieces like plates, most bowls, cups, serving pieces are square-ish with the corners chopped off, strictly speaking octagonal. We measure the pieces from flat edge rim to flat edge rim, not diagonally. The pattern has two motifs. One is a set of intricate circles with doo dads around, all set neatly into a rectangle. The other has the circles inside two curved sections with swags and more doo dads dangling below. The second motif looks like a stage curtain. Rims continue the motifs.
This photo shows a Princess creamer and sugar with satinized finish and painted flowers. The flowers look like those on Lancaster pieces, possibly this was decorated by them. (Lancaster was a sister company to Hocking.)
Princess Pieces Hocking Made
Princess is a dinnerware pattern with plenty of pieces for place settings and serving plus accessory pieces in green and pink, including a cookie jar, candy dish, cake stand, spice shakers and coaster. All three colors include an ashtray (remember smoking was popular in the 1930s). The pattern includes several tumblers and 2 or 3 pitchers depending on color.
Place Setting Pieces: Plates, Bowls, Cup and Saucer, Sherbet. Look for the sherbet plate, salad plate, dinner plate and 2 grill plates. There are two sizes of dinner plates, 9 and 9 1/2 inches across and Hocking made this piece in blue also. The sherbet plate doubles as the saucer which is quite common in Hocking patterns. One grill plate is 9 1/2 inches across while the other is 10 1/2 inches and has tab handles on the sides. Be aware that the wide rims on Princess reduce the size of the usable centers.
For bowls one may include the small, 4 1/2 inch berry bowl and 5 inch cereal on one’s table. The cereal seems deep enough one could use it for soup. Both these bowls have small tab handles.
The cup is squared off with a slightly rolled, round rim and uses the sherbet plate as a saucer. Both pieces are shown above. Sherbet is the pedestal style, shown next. Notice the design on the foot, similar to that on several Hocking patterns.
Princess Serving Pieces: Bowls, Relish Trays and Platters Princess includes plenty of the most-needed serving items. For bowls consider a 9 inch salad bowl, the deep hat shaped bowl at the top of the page or 10 inch long oval vegetable. Both the salad and vegetable bowls have tab handles.
The platter is oval with tab handles, 12 inches long and thee is a 10 1/4 inch square handled sandwich plate which we do not show.
The most common relish tray – and likely the most useful – is 7 1/2 inches across and divided with tab handles. The other one lacks the dividers and looks more like an oddly shallow, wide bowl.
Creamer and Sugar. The creamer and sugar have similar shapes, ungainly to my eyes, but they match the other pieces being square-ish and with rims. First is the creamer, shown here from an antique mall.
This photo shows the rim better. Notice the handle is faceted and connects directly to the rim.
Here is the Princess sugar. It has a matching sugar lid.
Other Serving Pieces: Butter Dish, Pitcher, Cake Stand, Salt and Pepper Shakers, Spice Shakers. Like most of the butter dishes from the depression era, Princess butter is a square-ish plate similar to a sherbet plate, with a round domed lid that fits inside the little groove on the plate.
This photo shows the groove.
Princess line includes 3 pitchers, but only 2 you are likely to see, the smallest which is 6 inches tall and holds 37 ounces and the larger, 8 inches tall that holds 60 ounces. The third is 7 3/8 inches tall and holds 24 ounces and is footed.
On the pitcher shown, the design is weaker, less raised from the background. I noticed this with other depression glass pitchers and vases.
The Princess cake stand is not the pedestal type of stand. It has 3 tab feet on the bottom and a flat top, much like Cameo or Mayfair cake plates. We do not have a photo of the Princess stand.
Here is a photo of the salt and pepper shakers. I do not know what the spice shakers look like.
Princess Accessory Pieces: Ashtray, Candy Jar with Cover, Coaster, Cookie Jar, Vase. I do not have photos of the ashtray or coaster to share. The ashtray is about 4 1/2 inches wide, shaped like the sherbet plate but with grooves in the corners. The coaster looks just like the ashtray but without the grooves to hold cigarettes in place.
Candy jar is the pedestal type with a bulbous base and square-ish lid with big finial. The lid photo shows the shallow flange. (The circled spot was a little rough to feel.)
The cookie jar is the same square-ish shape that Hocking used for Cameo and Mayfair.
The cookie jar lid has a deeper flange than the candy jar and sets inside quite securely. Maybe to keep from having kids knock it off grabbing a cookie while Mom’s distracted?
The vase looks like the pitcher with the handle and spout. The rim on top is round, not square-ish.
Tumblers. Princess offers 6 (!) tumblers, 3 footed and 3 flat, ranging from 3 inch tall juice holding 5 ounces to a 5 1/4 inch ice tea holding 13 ounces. There is a somewhat uncommon taller footed tumbler, 6 1/2 inches that holds 12 1/2 ounces filled to the brim.
Availability and Pricing
We found lots of pink and quite a bit of green when we were buying and selling glass (ended in 2018) in mid-Michigan. We got it at estate sales, antique shows and malls, Craigslist and a few pieces on eBay. I can’t comment on current availability in brick and mortar sites. Looking at eBay November 2024, I see many pink and green pieces, likely someone could find every piece with some patience.
Prices seem quite reasonable, somewhat lower than the 2010 book prices quoted in Florence’s depression glass guide. Remember book prices are supposed to be prevailing market prices across the US. I recall that even in the early 2010s I could not sell Princess for Florence’s quoted prices. No doubt if you keep an eye on it you can find reasonably-priced pieces. It is usually more economical to buy multiples of an item online, for example a set of 5 salad plates is listed at $60 including shipping while another seller lists a single plate for $30.
Both topaz yellow and the apricot colors tend to be less costly.
Reproduction and Damage Concerns
Candy jars and cookie jars have been reproduced in pink, green, amber and cobalt, per Florence. The colors are different from the real depression glass and Hocking did not make Princess in either cobalt or amber. I have not seen any and can not comment on prevalence or tell tale tips to spot the fakes.
Princess small bowls and cereal bowls tend to nick. I had many of both sizes and almost all were chipped along the top rim. Plates have rims but the drop off on the inner rim is not sharp and I do not recall many nicked plates.
Handles do have sharp corners and can get rough. Tumblers are thin so be very careful on the rims and edge of any foot.
As always, check the rims along the top and both sides, check handles, and always hold plates up to the light to spot wear.
Summary
Princess is reasonably available and affordable. If you like the shapes, colors and pattern, there are many pieces to choose among making Princess a good pattern for depression glass aficionados.