Vaseline Glass - Secret Test

Yesterday, I visited a friend from church to help her appraise some of her mother's items. Her mother's house was filled with items she had collected over a lifetime, and now it was my friend's time to make some decisions about these things.

The first thing I did was to begin separating items that were truly collectible from those that could be sold in a garage sale. I spotted a pair of beautiful Vaseline Glass candle holders. The design resembled a plate with the back edge pulled up, and in the center, was the spot for the candle. They didn't know anything about them, so I explained to them that these candle holders were special. I went on to tell them the greenish-yellow color of Vaseline Glass is very eye pleasing, and some serious collectors would even call it magical. Some will even choose a particular shade of this glass to collect.

You see, Vaseline Glass contained uranium and was made mostly before World War II. I went on to tell them that the government stopped the sale of uranium when the war broke out, and that because these pieces contained uranium, its color would change when lit under a black light.

"I have a black light," my friend said. Her father had been a stamp collector and often used a black light for his stamps. I felt this was a challenge to prove my statement. I explained that to use the light correctly, it must be totally dark for the best effect, so I asked if there was a place we could go and look at these pieces in the dark. She thought the front room coat closet would be best. Then, she excused herself to retrieve her father's small 6 inch black light from his old study.

The closet was packed full when I opened the door. We moved away what seemed to be an endless stream of coats as best we could. Then, I entered the closet. The ladies followed right behind me. closing the door behind us. Crammed into this small dark closet, we put the candle holders to the test. I turned on the black light, and the closet came alive with this beautiful florescent color. We all broke out in laughter, feeling like a bunch of kids, sneaking something our parents didn't want us to have or know about.

As you know, when I talk about the 31 Club, I always talks about it being an opportunity to have fun and also make a profit. I can assure you that I had fun yesterday, and so did my friend. I'm sure this story will be repeated many times. God planned for us to spend one lifetime here on earth, and if it isn't fun, then what's the purpose?

At most of the shows I attend, I usually find at least one dealer that features Vaseline Glass. This glass is displayed in a showcase with black lighting, and the pieces glow in the most beautiful greenish-yellow color. The effect is amazing.


A few hundred dollars or less will buy most Vaseline Glass pieces, and in my opinion, it is one of the most undervalued items I come across. This might be something worth your time to watch for, because the better pieces will sell very quickly, and that is what we like. Some glass being made today resembles Vaseline glass, but when you put it to the test, it fails.

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