How to Identify a Reproduction Jadite

Jadite is a line of low-end kitchenware sold in five-and-dime stores, or given away free in oatmeal boxes. It is milky green and opalescent. The most famous manufacturers of vintage jadite are Anchor Hocking, McKee, the Jeanette Glass Co. and Fenton Art Glass Co. It was and still is so popular that manufacturers scrambled to make their own version of jadite. With popularity increasing, manufacturing companies are making more new jadite. There are ways to figure out if your piece is vintage or modern.

Measure your jadite plate. A vintage plate measures anywhere from 7 1/2 inches to 10 inches in size, but a new plate manufactured in China measures 10 1/2 inches. Also, the reproduction rolling pins are from 1 inch to 2 inches longer than the vintage jadite ones.

Turn the plate over and look at the bottom to see who made it. The Fenton Glass Co., McKee Glass, Jeanette and Anchor Hocking Co. produced jadite before 1980. If the plate has a different marking or if there is not a marking, it could be a reproduction.

Check the listings in an antique glass book for the markings on your jadite. In addition, check out the patterns. Alice is a finely embossed pattern produced by Anchor-Hocking in the early 1940s. The swirl pattern is found in the vintage and new patterns. The difference is that the newer pieces such as the swirl batter bowl and the swirl melon pitcher are made in China and were never made by American manufacturing companies.

Look for bubbles, flaws and defects in the glass. Quality control did not exist for the vintage jadite. The reproduction jadite is of a better quality.