We’re starting a new series looking at Cameo depression glass from Hocking and how you might enjoy collecting it. Everyone has their favorites – and I must admit Cameo is one of mine – so let’s see what makes collecting glass so much fun.
Ideally we like patterns that are beautiful and
- You can enjoy using
- Pieces in the pattern
- How available the pattern is. Ideally you want a mix with some pieces easy to find and some that take hunting to find
- Overall price concerns
- Durability
Balance Availability with Challenge.
Collecting is fun! Going to antique malls, stopping by new places when you travel, checking estate sales, these are most enjoyable when you can find something you like. Oh, it’s not necessary or even desirable to pick up an entire set all at once – that takes away your antiquing fun in one swoop – but if you never find your favorites then it’s not much fun either.
Cameo has a very good mix of items that make collecting fun and, if you want to find certain pieces, challenging. Green basic plates sized for salad or lunch or the sherbet liners, are easy enough. If you check good antique malls you’ll likely see some of these common sized plates. On the other hand, dinner plates are a little harder to find, and if you are particularly looking for a challenge, look for lunch plates in both styles, one with a big center medallion and the other with a smaller medallion.
Green cups are often available too, and here too you can choose to find ALL the cup styles – which have different shapes and different handles – or you can mix and match or look for only the style you like best. These two are the ones I find most often; they have the same shape but different handles.
Many serving pieces are easy enough to find, especially if you are willing to shop online. Creamers and sugars, in several styles similar to the cups, the round serving bowl and the oval serving bowl are the pieces I’ve found the most often in antique stores.
Other fun pieces like the covered candy or vase show up too, although they may be more expensive.
Hocking Glass made a lot of Cameo tumblers and stemware, flat, footed, and stemmed.
You can get a small set of the flat water or ice tea tumblers online but tumblers are harder to find in stores than are plates. I found examples of most tumbler sizes today in a quick eBay search.
Tumblers can be pricey depending on size and availability; the 5 inch tall ones that hold 11 ounces appear to be the most common and affordable today, although back around 2013-16 when I can some of almost every size to sell the smaller, fat flat tumblers were more abundant and lowest cost.
Please keep in mind that popularity and demand and supply for vintage goods vary over time. If you are interested in finding a pattern to collect then I advise you to do a bit of research before selecting one to pursue.
For yellow Cameo depression glass, I’ve had varying results. At one time I saw many more pieces of yellow, especially sherbet plates, cups, grill plates, than green, then the pattern changed and the green was more prevalent. I was fortunate to purchase two very large sets of green Cameo in Southwest Michigan in the 2011-2013 period, those of course are all gone now as I sold much of my glass and donated everything else to the National Depression Glass Association for their fundraiser in 2019.
You should look in your local area as well as try antique malls on your travels to find Cameo. It’s a beautiful pattern that is fun to collect.