American Sweetheart Depression Glass

American Sweetheart Depression Glass is a very popular mold-etched glass pattern made by the company MacBeth-Evans Glass Company between the years 1930 and 1936. This pattern was produced in the colors monax (a transparent white), pink, cobalt blue and ruby red. The cobalt and ruby colors are usually the most difficult to locate pieces, and thus usually worth a lot more money. The transparent Pink, however, is extremely popular with many collectors, not just of the American Sweetheart pattern, but Depression Glass generally.

My personal favorite though is the Monax. It is a delicate translucent white that appears shot through with color when you hold it up to the light. Many of the Monax pieces also feature some coloring along the edges, like you see in this plate here. I particularly like the blue edging.

While American Sweetheart depression glass is reasonably abundant in availability, there are some specific pieces that are notoriously difficult to find. Topping the list are such items like the Monax sugar lid and salt & pepper shakers; the pink salt & pepper shakers and the pink Pitcher and tumbler; and the lampshade in all colors.

Also, the blue and red console plates are hard to find and thus very pricey. They are gorgeous though.

If you wanted to put together a complete set of American Sweetheart glassware together for the dinner table, you could complete the Monax set fairly economically if you left out the lampshade (which would cost you several hundred dollars) and possibly the sugar lid. It may take you awhile to put together a complete set, but it is do-able and this is especially true if you are willing to shop online.

A pricier option for a complete set would be putting it together in Pink. Pink, of course, is one of the most popular Depression glass colors, not just for the American Sweetheart pattern. A lot of it doesn't look very Pink to me, with some varieties much closer to peach, or orange or beige than Pink. But the pink glassware that MacBeth-Evans made is a true pink, so it is quite pretty.