How to Identify and Value Milk Glass

• Real milk glass is opaque with a smooth creamy color and ornate designs. It's usually white, but can also be a creamy light pink, green, blue, or even black.
• Mold lines or "seams" can indicate the piece is older and more valuable.
• Look on the base for a maker's mark or patent number that might identify a valuable original piece.
• Compare an unknown piece to pieces in collector's guides and manufacturer catalogs to help identify it.

Milk Glass Characteristics

Look for an opaque, creamy color. This is perhaps the easiest way to distinguish milk glass—and also where it gets its name. With true milk glass, the color is a part of the glass itself, not painted on. It's usually white, but it might also be a creamy light pink, green, or blue color. There's even black milk glass (it's called chocolate). The color is still milky or creamy, though, as if you stirred flavored syrup into a glass of milk. Color is a very difficult way to figure out how valuable a particular piece is, or even its approximate age, but it can help you determine if the piece you're looking at is real milk glass.

Hold older milk glass up in the sun to see the "ring of fire." Milk glass produced before the 1960s will produce a halo of iridescent colors in natural light. This is the best way to know for sure if the milk glass you have is a real antique. This doesn't mean that your milk glass is worthless if it doesn't have the ring of fire. Plenty of collectible pieces were produced later, but these tend to be the most popular among antique collectors.

Feel the raised pattern on the outside of the piece. Most milk glass was pressed into molds that gave the outside an ornate pattern with lots of texture and detail. There usually aren't sharp edges, though—the pattern has a smooth, rounded feel. If you've got a flat piece, such as a dish or platter, the pattern is typically around the edge. Lace and basketweave were popular designs for milk glass platters in the mid-19th through early 20th centuries. Some older milk glass was also painted. There's disagreement among collectors about whether to remove this old paint, especially if it's chipping. Generally, it doesn't seem to have much of an effect on the value of the piece either way.

Check for mold lines or "seams" along the piece. Sharp mold lines tend to indicate that you're looking at older milk glass, produced from the mid-19th through early 20th century. This era of milk glass is the most sought-after and typically the most valuable. Mold lines are never in the middle of a pattern—they'll be on a smooth part of the exterior of the piece. If you have a flat piece, such as a dish or platter, any seam would be along the edge, so it's unlikely you'll be able to see or feel it.

Milk Glass Manufacturer Hallmarks

Note a hobnail pattern, which is a signature milk glass pattern. Hobnails are raised dots or points that cover the outside surface of the piece. On flatter pieces, the hobnails will typically be uniform, while rounded or curved pieces are more likely to feature graduated hobnails. If you have an opaque, creamy-colored piece with a hobnail pattern, that's practically a guarantee that it's real milk glass. This pattern is most commonly associated with the Fenton glass company, although other glass companies also produced milk glass pieces with hobnail patterns.

Check the base of the piece for a signature or patent number. Famous glass makers sometimes pressed their "maker's mark" onto the base of a piece to indicate their original work. But many older glassmakers didn't mark their work, so just because you don't see a mark doesn't mean a piece isn't valuable. Some of the more common marks include: Westmoreland: a keystone with the letter "W" inside (pre-1920); unmarked (1920-1950); a "W" superimposed over a "G" (1950-1980); "Westmoreland" spelled out in a circle with 3 parallel lines (1980-present) McKee: script signature inside the base of a piece, typically an animal covered dish Kemple: circle with a "K" in the center Fenton: "Fenton" script in an oval or scripted "F" in an oval; beginning in 1980, a single number to indicate the decade of production ("8" for 1980s, "9" for 1990s, "0" for 2000s). Vallerystahl: "Vallerystahl" in script or all-cap print letters; "Vallerystahl" script inside a 5-petal flower

Recognize signature patterns associated with specific manufacturers. Over the years, particularly in the mid-19th and early 20th century, major milk glass makers created and patented particular patterns. Even though other makers used similar patterns, especially after the patent expired, these patterns are most commonly associated with the following manufacturers: Grape motifs and beaded edges: Westmoreland Hobnails combined with a crimped or ruffled edge: Fenton Animal designs: Atterbury & Company

Milk Glass Manuals and Appraisals

Compare your piece to exemplars in milk glass catalogs. Catalogs showcase images of original pieces, often from multiple angles. Antique collector's guides can also give you an idea of the general age and value of your piece. Many of these guides and catalogs are available at your local library. Specific milk glass manufacturers often have a lot of images and information available on their website if you happen to know which company made your piece. The National Milk Glass Collectors Society has photo galleries dedicated to specific manufacturers as well as rare and collectible pieces.

Get the piece appraised by a professional who specializes in milk glass. Talk to someone who works at a local antique store or auction house—they'll usually give you a good recommendation of someone local who can appraise your piece. You could also try searching online for an appraiser who would be willing to look at your piece over a video call or based on photos. Expect to pay anywhere from $100-400 for a professional appraisal. The price typically varies depending on the expertise, skill, and reputation of the appraiser. But be forewarned—the appraisal might end up costing you a lot more than your piece is actually worth. Keep in mind that regardless of an appraisal, there's never any guarantee as to what your milk glass is worth. Like any collectible, its value depends on what the right buyer is willing to pay for it.

Look for specific items that are highly sought-after. Pedestal planters, embossed pitchers with fruit, hen game dishes, chalice goblets, and tapered bud vases are all on the "must have" list. Because collectors want these pieces, they tend to attract higher prices, which can make them a real find if you're looking to start a collection. Typically, older pieces will be rarer and therefore more valuable, especially if they're in great condition with no chips or scratches. Original or first-run pieces also tend to attract higher prices. For example, a piece stamped with a patent number would indicate that it was one of the original pieces made by the manufacturer who patented that pattern.