Antique glass is anything over one hundred years old. For something as fragile as glass, one hundred years is a long time, but for something as strong as glass, it is just a walk in the park. Glass is both fragile and strong, depending on how it was made and how thick it is. Other determining factors in the survival of glass objects are how precious the object was considered at the time it was made, whether it was part of the grave goods for someone important, or whether it was buried.
Important objects usually pass into the hands of the community caretakers, museums in the case of the modern US. Previously, community caretakers were temples or the palaces of royalty. Many truly antique glass objects owe their existence to one or more of these care-taking entities. If the glass object was buried, either intentionally or unintentionally, then its survival until dug up was pretty much ensured, as glass is relatively immune to the action of any chemicals in the soil and to the actions of plants.
This is one of the marvels of glass, that once properly made, for the most part the only damage it takes is being broken. No tarnishing or oxidation. Bits remain intact forever, or until they are recycled. Bits buried in the ground can develop a patina that is highly prized, and ancient mosaic pieces and broken vessels are routinely dug up in the Fertile Crescent that have that patina. Glass exposed to the sun in the US desert sometimes changes from clear to a pale purple, and this glass is highly prized as well. But, in general, glass stays the same from the time it is made until it is recycled.
Glass makers have long recognized the need for recycled glass as part of the manufacturing process. Around twenty percent of the ingredients of a batch of glass is cullet, glass from prior batches that was not used and was poured out to cool or from breakage within the glass plant. The presence of the cullet speeds the melting of the raw materials. This is a major reason antique glass is so rare, as unwanted and broken items were recycled. During times of shortage, like war or economic upheaval, this is especially true, and people glean all the recyclable materials they can, picking up broken bits or donating unfashionable items to the recycling effort.
Antique glass, as opposed to glass antiques, is highly prized, and priced accordingly. If you want to collect this material, you need to do some serious reading and study of the real thing in museums. Then work with reputable dealers to build your collection. Time and money, and a reputation for knowing your stuff and paying fair price, will allow you to build a good collection of antique glass. It may never be a large collection, but it will be an important one.
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