Step 1: Don't overlook the obvious! Some Dutch glass is marked underneath to indicate the designer. Usually this is done with acid (sometimes sandblasted) and appears as a 'satin effect' or milky mark on the glass. (The most common etched and sandblasted Dutch marks are shown here, usually formed from designers initials and L/G for Leerdam (Glass), or the five-pointed star of Maastricht). Later Dutch glass may be marked with a diamond pen ('in handwriting') sometimes by machine. Such marks and signatures need to be checked against the catalogue/oevre of that designer, like checking the signature on a bankcheque. Did he sign his work like that, (around that date, on that design)? Lazermarks were introduced in the late 90's, and are therefore mostly found on reproductions. If you found a mark that isn't shown here, then you need to consult a good reference site on glassmarks. There are many thousands of marks in use in a range of countries, so it will help if you can identify the factory/period before you start searching. If you didn't find any sign of a mark or signature, that doesn't mean much! Your item may still be rare or valuable, but first you will need to identify it... read on to Step 2! Fake marks and signatures Although there are a few fake marks known, they seem to be comparatively rare, and most wouldn't fool a collector. On the other hand remember that any idiot is capable of buying a vase for 10 euros and a diamond pen for 15 and scrawling a name onto the base, so the 'handwritten' style is always harder to authenticate. The best rule is always to look at the object first, and then! the marks. We are given incorrect identifications every time we go to a market, and we would only laugh harder if it had an incorrect mark on the base! (On the other hand we note that there are some very odd unica pieces in the books, and a huge amount which is NOT in the books, so in the first instance, trust your own judgement!)

Step 2: Some Rough Shortcuts to Identifying Dutch Glass If it's a vase and it has a sculpted edge ('kartelrand') then it probably comes from Belgium and NEVER from Holland. If it's pink it's unlikely to be Dutch! If it has several gold rings around it, it's probably Belgian. (Even) a gold or silver rim was very rarely used in Holland. Black glass was only used for ashtrays, trays, and coasters, for the handles, feet or stoppers of some stemware, vases, jugs and decanters, but never for the main body of a vase or bowls. Opaque glass (opaline) from Holland is always from Leerdam ('arcopal') and mostly yellow ('Colopal'), but a few standard items were also made in mint-green, blue, cappuchino (fawn) and marmorite (a dark purple base with streaks of white and light blue in an erratic marble-like pattern of swirls). (With the exception of jelly moulds) if it has an image or picture in it or on it, it's not Dutch, (although etched motiefs of floral sprigs were commonly engraved onto Dutch crystal services.) Sculptural items include several animal and human figures. There are no Dutch tradition of glass paperweights, although some lumpy modern souvenirs from Leerdam probably have no other function! Decorative technique on Dutch work is usually very restrained, they tried out a lot of things, BUT almost never used more than one technique at a time. Luster-glazes crackle-glazes and iridescent layers, painted designs, acid etching, shaded colours, controlled bubbles; If your item has more than one technique from this list then it's not Dutch. Dutch factories used the same colours for quite long periods. If the exact shade can be matched to another vase in your collection, that's a good place to start! If a vase or bowl has optical ribs there are usually twelve. Eight and 16 were used on specific designs, but never more. Slanted optical ribs are mostly associated with the factory in Sussmuth, Germany. If you bought it 50 years ago, then it's at least 50 years old, but if you bought it in Holland...?! the best-selling glass in Holland came from factories in Bohemia, Germany and (more recently) France! 'Every good idea in Holland is a good idea in Belgium six months later!'. Many Dutch retailers found it easier and cheaper to order their glassware from Belgium, and factories like VSL and Braine-Le-Comte worked on many designs for the Dutch retail trade. The documentation is incomplete for ALL the Dutch and Belgian factories. Every serious collector owns items whose origin is unknown, and for some items, we will never know. However, as the internet reaches across the world you have the chance to consult the experts, and help to build knowledge. Never be too sure of yourself, and try to listen to informed opinions. Every rule, including the above, has an exception!

Step 3: Main keywords and concepts Glass is mostly made by one of the following techniques, and by identifying how your item was made you can narrow your search: Free-blown glass: The glass blower has used hand-held tools and workbench techniques to shape the item, sometimes with a model in front of him and a ruler in one hand! Each item is unique and may properly be called 'Unica' since it is usually impossible to make another which is absolutely identical. Mould-blown glass: To achieve standardisation, the glass has been blown into a (wooden) mould and turned, This results in a lot of vases with similar profile but the thickness of the glass may vary between examples. Then a vase or bowl shape is removed from the pipe at the open end, so there is often no pontil mark on the bottom. Pressed Glass: The glass has been squeezed between metal plates. This is a good way of creating the effect of cut glass cheaply, but leaves a rough edge after leaving the mould. Early techniques used hand-finishing to improve the result, but improving technology and awareness of the problem means the edges in later pieces are increasingly designed out, and after 1950 or so can be undetectable (e.g. the edge of a plate has been polished smooth to remove the only pressmark). Generally speaking, the rougher the seam, the earlier the date! NOTE: There is a great site about pressed glass where you can browse through hundreds of images in search of your pattern! Machine-made: In the post-war period, machines have risen to supremacy and most domestic glassware since the beginning of the 1970's is made by machine. The cost of wages means that hand-made items are usually extremely expensive, and therefore made to be distinctive. Dating your glass Many designs from 1920 on have remained in production for long periods. A few classics have been in continuous production for nearly a century. This means that there is an important distinction between the date of design and the date of manufacture. Likewise it does not follow that an item designed in 1930, was made in the period. Uranium green and yellow (often known as 'anna-groen') were prohibited after about 1942, as the dangers of radioactivity caused concern for the health of factory workers. Dutch factories found other shades of light green using other metal oxides. The uranium colour was still in used after the war in some countries outside Europe and until quite recently in India, China and the far east. Despite the concerns of the Dutch goverment in the 1940's, there is in fact no radioactive risk associated with green glass after manufacture! But if you want to reveal it's secret, just hold a ultra-violet light next to it (a pocket-torch used for checking bank notes is a worthwhile investment for anna-green collectors!)

It's a thingummybob! You may also be puzzled to find out what the function of your glass object was. Amongst the 'mystery items' we are most often asked to identify are; Electrical insulators 'An ashtray with no rests', 'a square bowl in thick, clear glass'. Glass was used to ensure that electricity cables were protected from the structure of wooden houses. Various shapes of insulator were made to place on top of wooden supports. Flower frogs Some vases were supplied with (or associated with) additional parts to assist flower arrangement. A matching piece made to sit inside another (matching) object providing support for flowers at various angles. Round bowls were sometimes provided with a circlar reservoir with a U-profile which sits inside the larger bowl. Only a very basic frog was ever produced in Holland, although rosebowls were frequently provided with a metal grille. 'Accubak'. In the days before mains electricity it was common to store current in the home using a simple battery working on the same principal as a car battery. This required a very large (square) container of glass to hold the acid, and could have been supplied with a matching lid containing holes to help in placing the terminals into the acid. Glass bricks A popular feature of art-deco architecture, glass bricks and decorative tiles were made in a range of styles. Any useable examples of early glass bricks are very highly sought after. Supply cupboard drawers 'A heavy pressed-glass vessel with a flat base, pointed at one end, with a handle on the square plate which forms the other end'. Many Dutch kitchens were equipped with a large storage cabinet comprising various drawers and containers, often marked with names of ingredients. In the days when items were sold in loose paper wrappings this was a good way to store everyday foodstuffs. Glass objects Since the 1980's there has been a trend towards making sculptural objects. Some are representational, whilst others are abstract or geometric. What are they FOR? Sometimes it's just 'an object'; they are sculptural and have no preconceived function. Decanter The stop from a (modern) decanter or a stand for a specific object. Both can be difficult to spot once they are separated from the related parts. Meydam designed more than one decanter with a hollow stopper, and they are often used as small vases.

Step 4: Where to start your hunt... If you have already found out a few keywords with which to describe your glass, then you can try clicking through some of the links on our link page. If you prefer, there is also a bulletin board where you can post details of your object and ask for help from other collectors. But before you're ready to post a message you'll need to compose a good description description of the item, including all the information you have, and two or three photos. How old is it? (at earliest? at latest?). Is it a functional object? (vase, bowl, tumbler, wineglass) How tall and wide is it? Can you take a photograph of it? (Work against a plain background. Make sure one is an exact profile picture, and one shows the form in three dimensions. Place an AA battery beside it for scale - AA=50mm ) Take a photo of the base. If it's not Dutch and not marked, then a photograph of the base can still be useful to the experts. Does it use any unusual techniques, mixing of colours? bubbles? texture? etc. If it has a label (or even a little fragment of a label) then try to photogaph it! If you can't photograph the mark, make a small sketch of it! When you've prepared the text and pictures, it's time to post your first message at: http://www.glassmessages.com/ Ask for information about the design and origin of your piece, but please do NOT ask for valuations on the Glass Message Board. Please feel free to send us an email and we'll be happy to see if we can make an immediate cash offer!