HISTORY:
There was a time during the 1970's when we had a 'fetish' for Green glass, particulary Uranium or Vaseline glass ... this item is NOT one of the latter.
What is 'Uranium glass' I hear you ask ....
Uranium glass has been around for many many years, particularly in the first half of the 20th century but it's production gradually lessened over the years and it is now quite difficult to find.
In 'normal' daylight, this type of glass looks vibrant and 'alive' but when exposed to UV light it becomes flourescent, meaning that it glows - usually a irridescent Green but also Yellows are not unheard of. While most people don't happen to have a dedicated UV light sitting in their dining area, good old sunlight (of component of which is UV light) will also give a special 'sparkle' to the glass - that is why this type of glass was so popular.
The downside, although it is present in minute amounts, is radioactivity! Uranium glass contains very small (actually earlier glass contained much higher levels of Uranium) amounts of Uranium - yes, the stuff nuclear bombs were created from!
Now don't panic!, your piece of tableware is not going to create a nuclear explosion of course but it is wise to be aware that radioactivity ABOVE normal background levels is most likely present. For occasional use, this glassware is considered relatively safe but frequent ingestion of liquids within a Uranium glass based item is not recommended. If you take a look around online, there is a great deal of information about the safety of Uranium glass published by experts in their field.
The best idea is to treat Uranium glass as an ornament, a talking point at the dinner table or in the lounge room display cabinet.
Coming back to this Green leaf Green glass tableware, I have confirmed that this is in fact NOT Uranium glass. I do have a strong UV-A light source and there are no signs of flouresence at all.
That is not to say that this glassware is dull and lifeless, it is anything but .... the minerals (probably low levels of Chromium) added to create the Green glass have done their job well ... the glass is clear Green, what you may call a 'Mint Green' and it does look very attractive (if a leaf shaped dish is your 'thing')
On with the details ...
UNIDENTIFIED MANUFACTURER - Glass ornamental dish
I can see no manufacturer marks or stampings on this item
We originally did purchase this in England many years ago but that doesn't conclusively prove the country of origin ... may be English or it may not be
Definitely 1960's (we purchased in the 1970's - second hand)
Mint Green translucent glass
Moulded glass i.e there are NO press 'joins'
The leaf pattern design is on both the topside and underneath, the underside having a 'flattened bottom' for stability
Measurements: 320mm length x 135mm at the widest point x 40mm deep in the centre
This is HEAVY glass, not flimsy or weak at all - it's a little difficult to measure the thickness but the smallest thickness I could measure was 8mm at any point.
Easily holds a few nice long Banana's!!! We did that once (for effect) on an Australia Day event, Green dish with Yellow Banana's - attractive, creative and Oh so "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi"!
COSMETIC CONDITION:
USED
CLEAN
Bright, Clean transculent glass without any discolouration
NO cracks
NO slivers of glass
NO broken edges
It can be difficult to detect any damage to glassware so I have very carefully examined and 'felt' the glassware all over and nothing at all untoward was discovered.
Just one very minor 'mark' observed ... on the underside, in the centre area (which has been supporting the dish in the past) there is a line which looks like the result of rubbing. It does NOT feel damaged, no glass is 'missing' but it has a light roughness feel. This is very minor but I thought it best to mention it.
A very nice, attractive yet unusual piece of Green glassware from 60 years ago! You won't find this sort of thing at any contemporary store such as Reject Shop!
