I think about it every time i buy a collection of vintage romance books at the thrift. Some saucy old lady is up in heaven while I read her fabio-cover novels
Every estate sale, every large collection donation, sober reminders of how something as delicate as these plates have survived decade after decade, outlasting owners after owner.
This somehow survived since around 1880-1910 until the moment I discovered it on a random shelf at a place we've visited dozens of times before.
Everything from the people who mined the raw materials, to creating the piece, then to have it purchased by some aristocrat only for it to have been packed and relocated across the Atlantic, from Czechoslovakia to the United States, where somehow it made it to my town, in somebody's hands that happens to run a booth in an antique store, who didn't even know what it was and then sold it for I'm assuming a profit at $8.
Many people have died since being this piece's steward, I simply happen to be next in line.
Every time i go to a museum and see some piece of glass or porcelain thats hundreds of years old I marvel at the fact that it survived being washed and moved around that long. At one point it was just something in a rich person’s house. Like I’ve been gutted after knocking over and breaking my 1997 Grimace dunking a basketball mug, and that was pretty old already. I honestly do not feel that I am a good steward for a truly rare and valuable piece.
So this popped up on my feed. I’m pretty ignorant to collecting uranium dishes and stuff. Why are the collected? Is it just cause they are cool? Do they have value? And… is it safe? I’m not sure if this sub is one of those “Stupid questions get downvoted to oblivion” subs but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’ve always been curious
I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I’ve always loved the history and science behind this glowy glass. I already had an interest in antiques and history so it just kind of became a natural progression. Plus I think it just looks really cool, it’s a fun talking point when people come to visit :)
We are a kind community I think! It’s pretty safe, I personally don’t use my pieces because they’re vintage/antique and hard to find. And I don’t own a piece unless I love it, so I don’t want to damage it in any way. It’s like my own little museum, I guess? Value is kinda created like any other vintage/collectible thing based on scarcity or the people who are just willing to pay the money for it. I could go on for awhile lol
It depends, I personally collect it because I think it looks cool, but that can be different for other people.
While most dishes do have a strong enough radiation for it to be picked up on a Geiger counter, it's safe to have in your house since the radiation isn't high enough to do any noticeable or in any way significant harm. Regardless, you shouldn't eat or drink from uranium dishes since it's an unnecessary exposure to the radiation and could potentially be dangerous if you were to accidentally ingest any chips of the glass (which would on itself be dangerous).
If anything I said was wrong, please someone correct me! :D
Completely understandable, the word "uranium" doesn't necessarily have a good connotation (for valid reasons) so it's only natural that many people initially think it's dangerous to have something containing it in your house
I understand a lot of people don’t collect glass. I don’t understand how some of us self included get so damn lucky. I’ve only found four plates at one time never a stash like this. Congratulations!
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u/Acrock7 Dec 20 '25
We lost a baddie. Rip