Pressed Glass, also referred to as Pattern Glass, was produced between 1850 to 1910. Originally designs were intended for everyday use and made very durable and attractive. Pressed Glass was produced in England, the United States and Canada where patterns were designed and then duplicated into a cast iron mold. Molds were then fired at an extreme temperature and pulled away from the glass and the piece was left to cool. If you examine a piece of pressed glass you will always find either two, three or four seams running through the glass, although sometimes the seams were well hidden in the pattern. The number of mold lines in a piece of glass does not determine the age. If the piece was small, manufacturers would use a two piece mold; if they were making compotes they would use a three piece mold. When manufacturers made punch bowls, they would use a four piece mold because of its large size, or a four piece mold was used for square patterns to help create the shape. Around the 1920’s, Pressed Glass lost its popularity and crystal became the ‘in thing’.
