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Summary: An antiques expert explains how to identify chipped or cracked ruby flash glass antiques and why it is important to avoid them in this free video clip on antique collecting.
Views: 618 | Tags: glass, collecting, flash, antiques, ruby, antique collecting
About the Expert
Sue Shea Sue Shea has been dealing in antiques since 1979, and has her own shop, Shea Antiques, located in Shelburne Falls, MA. Her passion is early American 18th & 19... read more
So when collecting ruby stained glass some of the things to consider in the condition is chips and cracks and from my experience buying anything that has glass is chipped or cracked I would stay away from it. It would totally loss it's value and in glass ware it could actually be dangerous if you got a big chip or chunk out of a piece of your glassware. It's very easy to cut yourself but for retail value it's a shelf piece it doesn't have any value but I can show you just there's a varying degrees of chip. And some of these patterns are very intriquit and you'll find some chipping on the very edges, I know it's difficult to see but there is some chipping on the edges here and there is some chipping on the edges here. There's another example here where there's more chipping that does effect the value but to me in buying a piece like this if you had chipping and cracks up here around the top it's definitely a piece I would stay away from. But if you have some ware damage with some minor chips around the bottom that would be a piece I would consider so when your looking at cracks and chips my first advice to you is not to buy it if it has chips and cracks in it. But if it's very minor and it comes from ware and at the bottom of the piece like this or it matches a pattern you have and you don't have that piece that's when you take into consideration chips and cracks. But for collecting any kind of retail I would highly recommend that you don't' buy anything with chips and cracks.