eBay Niche Product: Uranium Vaseline Glass

March 4th, 2008 | Niche

Uranium glass or Vaseline glass? Tomato or to-mah-to? This is one of the most interesting things I've ever seen on eBay. I found it by accident one day years ago and have searched for it ever since just to look at the pictures. It sells well on eBay, and can still be found in antique stores and even some thrift shops and estate sales if you have a sharp eye.

What is uranium glass?

Uranium glass is a type of soda-lime glass made with a small proportion of uranium oxide. It was usually made with a very low percentage of uranium, usually 2%, but pieces from the 19th century could contain as much as 25% elemental uranium by weight.

The uranium glass you can find on eBay is primarily antique or retro glassware. Uranium became scarce during the Cold War, and that led to a sharp downturn in production of this amazing glass.

The color of uranium glass depends on the oxidation state of the glass. Colors range from yellow to green, although other colors may occur if additional coloring agents are used. One of the coolest things about this glass is that it fluoresces bright green under ultraviolet light. It looks so nuclear!

Isn't this stuff dangerous?

There are some pieces that can actually register higher than background radiation on a really sensitive geiger counter. But most uranium glass is harmless.

Vaseline glass

The most typical color of uranium glass is pale yellowish-green, which in the 1920s led to the nickname Vaseline glass, since it kind of looks like Vaseline. The name has a decidedly unromantic ring to it though, in my humble opinion.

In any case, some people now interchange the term "Vaseline glass" for uranium glass. They are not completely accurate though, because the term Vaseline glass has become common for any translucent, greasy looking glass. But without the uranium, it's just greasy looking glass and you won't get that impressive "glow" under the UV light. Go for the real thing - I've added the most current eBay items below so you can see what I mean.
photo credit: JanneM