The Vintage Glassware Brand That's Worth Buying At The Thrift Store

You never know what treasures are waiting to be discovered when you visit a thrift store. The thrill of finding something unique or valuable is what drives some people to thrift in the first place. Following expert tips for thrifting home décor can help you score such finds for your own home or to resell at a profit. Armed with lots of knowledge and a little luck, you could spot a piece of collectible vintage glassware in the crowded displays at thrift stores, estate auctions, and yard sales. One vintage glass brand that's always worth keeping your eyes peeled for is Fred Press.

Fred Press was a prolific multimedia artist in the mid-20th century. He produced paintings, which can be found in art museums and private collections throughout the U.S., as well as sculptures, sketches, and commercial designs, including glassware. His distinctive new designs were most popular between the 1950s and the 1980s. Over the years, Press created hundreds of bold-patterned tumblers and drink sets in vibrant hues. You should, for example, look out for this vintage glassware at the thrift store if you love the color pink.

The iconic work of Fred Press includes a wide variety of barware: cocktail glasses and full sets of desirable highball glasses can be found for sale in stores (including thrift stores) and all over the internet. You can find Trojan horse-adorned lowball glasses on eBay, Arabian Horse line cordial glasses on Etsy, and fluted champagne glasses in boutique secondhand stores. You can also find specialty items, such as serving trays, chip and dip bowls, candle holders, pitchers, coffee carafes, and ice buckets.

To successfully identify Fred Press-designed glassware from among the riffraff on the thrift store shelf, you need to know how to analyze the pieces for authenticity. Bold colors, genuine gold, and dramatic designs make this artist's work recognizable. One standout feature of this glassware is the fact that many of the designs have 22K and 24K gold detailing. Looking for a maker's mark is another great tip for spotting valuable, high-end items at thrift stores.

Turn the glassware on its side and look for a signature. If you see the words Fred Press — often accompanied by the copyright symbol — printed in cursive within the pattern, you're in luck. Some popular designs include Gold Fish and Gold Starburst, though the likelihood of finding these rare patterns in a thrift store is slim. Other coveted patterns feature fish, stars, feathers, and geometric shapes, as well as the artist's Christmas glassware.

If you spot authentic Fred Press glassware at a thrift store, don't pass it up, especially if it's a full set. You may have found something genuinely valuable. Fred Press vintage glassware is highly coveted by barware collectors and fans of midcentury-modern design alike. Glassware sets designed by this renowned artist can be found online for prices that range from $60 on sites like eBay to almost $900 in specialist reseller stores.