Antique Collection

Compared with ceramics of the same date, much antique glass remains relatively inexpensive. You can still find sets of 19th century glasses for under £100 at antiques shops and general auctions, and incredibly, an antique decanter will often cost less than a modern one.

SALTS, CASTERS AND CRUETS
In the past, salt was valuable and kept in elaborate containers. Beautiful medieval salts rarely appear on the market, but early 18th-century trencher salts are still quite common. These are small oval, circular or oblong salt cellars with a dished centre. However, most are now in poor condition as they were generally [...]

Useful, decorative, easy to store and not prohibitively expensive, small pieces of table glass are an ideal field for the new collector.
Formal meals were important social occasions in the life of well-to-do families of the 18th and 19th centuries, and every well-equipped household had many decorative yet functional items of glassware to adorn the table. [...]

Drinking bygones of the last two centuries encompass both fascinating early, handblown bottles and beautiful cut-glass decanters and claret jugs.
Ark green and brown bottle glass was introduced into Britain in the early 17th century, and was adopted as the best available material for storing wine. The more elegant decanter came into common usage for serving [...]

Classical Revival
Because vases were so prominently displayed in rooms, it was vital for manufacturers to keep abreast of the latest developments in architecture and style. In Britain from the 1760s that meant following the Neoclassical style of Robert Adam and his contemporaries.
It was the potter Josiah Wedgwood who was to transform and dominate the market [...]