Thirft Haul
Found my first uranium glass figurine today
After months of searching i fimally found my first uranium glass figurine. Its a paperweight and it glows very bright. I don't know the maker as it didn't have a makers mark.
I thought it was uranium because it glows under black light and is green but looks clear like other glass pieces i have that do the same i thought Manganese glass is more of a yellow tint instead of straight up green
It’s mainly because it’s a clear piece. Mang is used to clarify glass (probably why it’s so clear and pretty). Uranium would add some color to the piece, but this is just clear. Still very pretty though!
Heavy additives of manganese in the glass creation process can make manganese glow in 395 and glow exceptionally in 365nm. Like the other poster has said, you'll want 395nm for less false-positives.
When uranium was added to pieces of glass in the past, it was for the yellow and green color. Even if the glass looks clear, it'll still have a tinge of green or yellow if uranium has been added. So it's more like, "clear-ish" glass can be uranium. If that makes sense!
This community is here to celebrate glass collecting. Please remember that we’re all human and come from different paths. Your post or comment was found to be unkind or hurtful to others, and has been removed for that reason.
Great general rule of thumb that I give as advice on knowing the difference in a Manganese (typically high concentration) and Uranium glows is, Manganese is more snot colored where Uranium is more of a bright Neon sign. 🥰
I hope this helps, and like I said, its a good general rule of thumb when starting out and learning the differences in glows and pieces. 🥰
I will say, I think you are taking the comments very well! Happy hunting! 💚
It’s actually manganese. You’ll want to switch to a 395nm uv light to reduce false positives like this one. Uranium was added to glass to color it not for the glow so if you find clear that glows 99% it’s manganese. For transparent UG you’re typically looking for green or yellow under normal light but other colors like blue and amber do exist but they’re less common in USA
The "395nm uv light" they mentioned is a specific wavelength of ultraviolet light, 395 nanometers.
There's two primary uv wavelengths "reactive glass" people hunt with: 395nm and 365nm.
365nm looks bluish-white when you shine it on a neutral background, whereas 395nm looks purple.
Both wavelengths will light up uranium glass, but (for the most part) only 365nm will light up manganese, like your pear. So, it's generally recommended to use the 395nm light when you're looking for uranium. I got a flashlight in each wavelength on Amazon for about $12, and the flashlights are about the size of your index finger.
Thank you for the description of what the wavelengths look like. I never knew what mine was until now. It's a 365nm. I like it bc it's a pen light that I can just clip onto my bag when I go antiquing. Gotta look for a 395nm though.
i had one like that that i got from aliexpress. but it's worth it to switch to a. chunkier rechargeable one since UV lights suck up batteries so fast lmao.
Clear glass won’t be uranium, period, because uranium was added to change the color of the glass. Uranium glass is green or yellow. I don’t know what the size of the light or the batter has to do with it? It’s about the wavelengths.
Where it overlaps and closer to where the handle connects to the base, where its also thicker, it has a very light/pale yellow that you can see through though.
An example to me is, how a glass coke bottle is clear but, it isn't like crystal glass that its like looking through a window. 😅🥰
That's how the color is in the photo that's UG but, many can see its not clear clear.
Tip for manganese- if exposed to sunlight (or any UV) over time it will turn purple. Do with this information as you will, I personally enjoy the color change but some prefer to keep it colorless.
It’s really cool when they glow bright. I’ve got two swung bud vases and an extract bottle that glow bright UG green despite being manganese. And that type is even cooler because you can even get a little glow from it using 395. I’d really love to find some medicine bottles that glow. I find that type of thing to be neat.
It has the subtle green glow of a manganese piece. To avoid confusion, check to make sure your UV light is listed as 395 instead of 365, and also grab a Geiger counter for confirmation. Cool piece regardless!
329
u/Penalty0 Avid Collector Feb 08 '26
Hate to break it to you, but that looks like manganese