Uranium glass
Back in the early 90s, I worked in a town that had several antique shops. One had a display of uranium glass, with a UV light that would cause it to glow. It was fascinating to me, but I never looked into buying any because I didn't have much money or space to keep what's essentially a knickknack.
Fast forward to the present, and I was looking for something to toss the empty vials of Restasis (medication for dry eye disease) because there's no space for even a small trash can near where I use it. So a small dish to toss them in, to later dump in the trash would make it a more convenient. I recalled having a couple of small glass bowls that I think came from Down Home (what we call the homestead of my paternal great-grandparents). I would have gotten them around 1980ish, after my g-grandmother passed and all the stuff was divvied up, but I didn't really have any use for them, so I kept them in a cabinet all these years.
One of them is an light green color, and a couple of days after I started using it, my 51-year old brain realized something my 11-year old brain wouldn't have known -- I very likely had a piece of uranium glass. The way to test is to shine a UV light (aka black light) and I happened to have one, so presto, I now have it confirmed with a fluorescent glow.
It's nothing fancy, just a small bowl. Looks like a cereal bowl, but a wee bit smaller, with a raised ridge on the bottom but no other details. From similar items I've found online, it's probably a mayonnaise/condiment dish, and the plain design means it might have been a promotional giveaway. I recall my mom buying Duz detergent in the 70s to get glasses and dishes, and I remember a few kitchen towels in those boxes too.
Not worth much, less than $20, but it's just very cool to have one. I can't believe I've had this for 40 years and had no idea.
Fast forward to the present, and I was looking for something to toss the empty vials of Restasis (medication for dry eye disease) because there's no space for even a small trash can near where I use it. So a small dish to toss them in, to later dump in the trash would make it a more convenient. I recalled having a couple of small glass bowls that I think came from Down Home (what we call the homestead of my paternal great-grandparents). I would have gotten them around 1980ish, after my g-grandmother passed and all the stuff was divvied up, but I didn't really have any use for them, so I kept them in a cabinet all these years.
One of them is an light green color, and a couple of days after I started using it, my 51-year old brain realized something my 11-year old brain wouldn't have known -- I very likely had a piece of uranium glass. The way to test is to shine a UV light (aka black light) and I happened to have one, so presto, I now have it confirmed with a fluorescent glow.
It's nothing fancy, just a small bowl. Looks like a cereal bowl, but a wee bit smaller, with a raised ridge on the bottom but no other details. From similar items I've found online, it's probably a mayonnaise/condiment dish, and the plain design means it might have been a promotional giveaway. I recall my mom buying Duz detergent in the 70s to get glasses and dishes, and I remember a few kitchen towels in those boxes too.
Not worth much, less than $20, but it's just very cool to have one. I can't believe I've had this for 40 years and had no idea.