First produced in the early years of the 20th Century, Iridill Glass (more commonly known as Carnival Glass) was a very popular and affordable type of glass work. Inspired by the lavish works from Tiffany and other producers, Iridill was expected to be the next big thing and fetch premium prices.
This was not to be the case and soon Iridill Glass began to sell at steep discounts; enough so that carnivals began buying up many pieces and offering them as prizes to their games. Through that venue, many households got their first pieces of the glass and that is where the popular name comes from. To give the glass its famous sheen was from the application of metallic salts when the glass was still virtually molten.
Unfortunately, many makers went out of their way to copy their competitor's designs and most Carnival Glass lacked maker's marks which make identifying where individual pieces come from nearly impossible.
Today Carnival Glass has a very active collector's market both online and off. Prices for smaller pieces range from the single digits to hundreds of dollars; with larger pieces passing the $500 market and some climbing into the $1,000 range.
