Uranium glass

I'm not sure it's possible to detect uranium glass (sometimes called vaseline glass) with just the naked eye -- I have seen shows about people who bring Geiger counters into antique shops looking for the stuff! Last week I spotted some Depression-type glass goblets that felt a little too green. For a few bucks, I bought 4 of them. I was quite pleased to see them glow quite nicely under my UV light. I have a party light from Home Depot, but you can get a portable UV light like this. Utilitarian pieces like this goblet are fairly common and not terribly collectible, but really nice pieces can go for big bucks. I think the internet made this stuff a lot more available than it used to be, and along with all the modern reproductions, has really pushed prices down. What makes it glow? The glass has uranium oxide in it, but it's a stable form of the compound and totally safe.