NASHVILLE - The 12th Annual Elegant and Depression Glass Show and Sale will be held at the same venue, the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville as prior shows.

This year’s show is Saturday, July 16, and Sunday July 17. Show hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 per person and is good for both days. Parking is free.

More than 20 dealers will exhibit a large variety of glassware made by American manufacturers, many of which are no longer in business. Dealers from Florida, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Louisiana, Indiana, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee are scheduled for the show.

The building will be filled with both common and rare pieces of depression and elegant glassware in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. There will be something for almost every collector, and decorators can shop the show for unique items that are not available in retail outlets.

Depression glass is the colorful glassware made in the 1920s and 30s in many patterns by companies such as Federal, Hazel-Atlas, Hocking, and Jeanette. Elegant glass is generally higher quality than depression glass and is often etched or cut with intricate patterns showing the skills of American glass workers. Major producers of elegant glass include Cambridge, Fostoria, Heisey, Imperial, New Martinsville, Tiffin and Westmoreland.

In addition to elegant and depression glass, items such as lamps, vases, planters, and figurines made by American potters will be offered. Makers include Hall, McCoy, Roseville, Shawnee and Weller. 

Three seminars will be presented to help educate novice and advanced collectors about the history and artistry of American-made glassware. At 1 p.m. Saturday, Pam and Fred Meyer from Texas will discuss and illustrate the differences between elegant and depression glass. They are well-known dealers and promoters of glass shows.

Fostoria’s Navarre pattern will be featured in another seminar. It will be presented by members of the Fostoria Glass Society of Tennessee who have extensive collections of the pattern. The seminar will be at 3 p.m. Saturday.

On Sunday at 1 p.m., authors Danny Cornelius and Don Jones will present a seminar on Pattern Glass. They are the co-authors of two books on pressed glass, American Pattern Glass Table Sets and Early American Pattern Glass Cake Stands and Service Pieces.

The Fostoria Glass Society of Tennessee, a chapter of the Fostoria Glass Society of America, hosts the show. Proceeds from the show are used to support the Fostoria Glass Museum in Moundsville, W.Va. and other organizations that preserve the history and artistry of American glassmakers.

For more information about the show, contact the show manager, Bob Fuller, at 615-223-0816 or fullerre@comcast.net.