Over the last twenty-five years, prices of Carnival Glass have fallen considerably. The table below exhibits selected patterns and the average of their auction prices for those items from the years 1994 to 1996, 2014 to 2016, and 2017 to 2019. Virtually all patterns exhibit a similar drop.

Why, might you ask? There are several reasons. One is that access to Carnival Glass sales is easier than ever. Auctions were not typically offered on the internet twenty years ago, and eBay wasn't formed until 1995. Another reason is that as more attention was focused on Carnival as a collectible, more people became interested in selling their collections. And as long time closet collectors began dying, their children needed to dispose of all that glass, or people began realizing that that colorful glass sitting on top of the hutch was worth something.

Consequently, more and more Carnival came onto the market. For example, in the 1994 to 1996 period, I have listings of just 19 sales of purple Grape and Cable sweetmeats--then thought to be a particularly special item. In the 2014 to 2016 period, 56 of these pieces sold. Similar numbers occurred throughout Carnival auction sales.

While some folks may say that Carnival is dying as a collectible, I say the opposite, and the ready availability of excellent examples provides a great opportunity to acquire some really great glass and to form spectacular collections. Jump in now before the trend reverses!