A great looking Early American Pattern Glass (EAPG) miniature mug from old NELSON BRITISH COLUMBIA.   Back in the day souvenirs like this were often won at small-town fairs, sold in small businesses or at tourist's stands during large events and celebrations.  We don't see many of these souvenir antiques from western Canada, especially from small towns like Nelson B.C.  (Side note ... we do have a SUPER RARE coffin shaped whiskey flask from NELSON that was dug up in NW Montana about 50 years ago, but other than that, not many items with early advertising were produced from small British Columbia towns.)  The lettering on this little mug is engraved in a Gray or Silver leaf paint or enameling, which gives it a very appealing look against the red color and amethyst tinted base.  You hear about old glass turning purple ... this amethyst color is the result of it being blown with glass that had manganese added to it. Manganese is a mineral that was pulverized and added to vats of liquid glass, to make the glass crystal clear, otherwise it is naturally a deep aqua marine color.  Only clear glass from before 1915 had manganese in it.  When exposed to sunlight the manganese starts to oxidize and turns a nice amethyst or lavender color, the result of a chemical reaction. The longer it is in the sun light, the darker purple it turns. A glass item has to be old enough to begin with, as with few exceptions, only clear glass from before 1915 had manganese in it. With the start of WWI, manganese was no longer available as foreign imports decreased and domestic resources turned towards the war effort. NO MORE purple glass after 1915!  Not only does this amethyst color add to the eye appeal of this little miniature mug, but it also authenticates it as truly being antique, check it out! 

Terms of Sale:   Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction. We put our 30+ years of experience in antiques to use in describing every item we list. Items are sold in a store front format and your purchase is a binding contract, so please don't be hasty when looking over the listing. We find that communication is the key to successful transactions so PLEASE completely read the item description AND ask questions before purchasing, thank you!