I spoke too soon. Recently I said I’d never seen reproduction crystal Iris and Herringbone although Gene Florence shows them in his book Collector’s Encyclopedia of Depression Glass. (You can read the blog post here: It’s Almost Iris Time! Iris and Herringbone That Is.)
Loren and I went to the antique show today and as soon as I spotted these plates I knew they were the reproductions. It’s hard to see in the photograph on the brown burlap table cover, but these are almost colorless, clear glass. The older Iris is never this clear.
Reproduction Iris and Herringbone Plate – Too Clear
I thought the pattern looked a little weak too, but that may have been because the glass was so clear you couldn’t see the shadows on the relief that makes Iris so pretty.
The final tell-tale is the V shapes on the underside. These little Vs are the “Herringbone” in the Iris and Herringbone pattern name and on the old glass they should point inwards. The reproduction plates point outwards, like arrows. This sounds more confusing than it is in practice. Also, on the real plates the last two Vs in a row are slightly separated from their neighbors. Here you can see they are lined right up with the ends touching.
Reproduction Iris and Herringbone Crystal Plate Underside Showing Vs Going Wrong Way
Most likely the dealer here did not realize these were reproductions. Like most of the people at this show they had a lot of things besides glass and likely aren’t experts. For one thing this was the 9 inch dinner, not the 8 inch luncheon. (Real Iris and Herringbone clear lunch plates are very pricey.)
This is why it is smart to learn about your favorite patterns, that way you will recognize reproductions even when the dealers do not.