I have been collecting Fenton Art Glass for almost eight years now and probably my favorite collection is Crests. Fenton crests are often made from milk glass (although not always) and have a different color of glass applied to the edge of the piece. Crests were made starting in the late 1930's and technically are still being made today. However, most of the crests that I collect were made in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. Here are five quick tips that I have discovered in collecting Fenton Crests.

1. Choose colors that you like. When I started collecting crests I decided that I wanted to get one piece of every color of crest that Fenton made. A few years later I discovered that I had over a hundred pieces and I didn't really enjoy a lot of them. Since then I have begun to focus my collection on colors that I really love. For me, I really enjoy Fenton Blue Ridge, Black-Crest, Blue Snowcrest, Ruby Silvercrest and Ivory-Crest.

2. Choose patterns that will display nicely. It is a real shame to buy beautiful pieces of glass and then keep them hidden in a box. Use your glass to decorate with. Consider using groupings of similar colors to create centerpieces. Crests have the ability to look great together when you have a grouping of the same color crest and the accent color of the crest makes them really stand out.

3. Give yourself a challenge. If you know anything about Fenton or crests you will probably notice that patterns that I listed above are pretty scarce. However, the challenge is part of the fun. For every hundred pieces of Silvercrest that you see you might find a single piece of black crest. That makes finding the blackcrest piece so much more fun. Just be careful that you don't make it too hard on yourself. Choose a pattern that you really like that will be within your budget.

4. Consider collecting shapes that you like. As an alternative to selecting a single color of crest to collect, consider choosing a shape. There are several shapes that Fenton made in almost all of the different crest colors. Collecting jack in the pulpit vases, baskets, bon bons or rose bowls in all the different colors can be a lot of fun and they can look really cool all displayed together.

5. Look for the deal. When you start out collecting crests it will probably be tempting to just buy the cheaper common pieces. However, remember to sprinkle a few really great rare pieces (or at least keep an eye out for the deals) into your collection. Whenever you are out shopping for antiques or browsing the web keep an eye out for great deals and awesome pieces. Rare pieces tend to hold their value a lot better than common ones and it is always great to be able to tell the story of where you found your best pieces.

6. Buy the books. There are a number of great books that will show you the different shapes, colors and treatements available in Fenton Crests. Definitely take the time to check them out. Additionally, you can supliment your research by browsing the crests section on ebay. They have some great pieces to look at on there. Just be careful you don't spend too much money.

Ultimately, when it comes to collecting crests you need to buy what you love. I have hundreds of crests and I am constantly looking for the next great piece for my collection. Who knows where I might find it and what type of deal I might get.