Children's toy glass dishes are a delightful sideline to collecting Early American Pattern Glass. These diminutive dishes are miniature versions of the patterns and pieces of glass that our Mothers, our Grandmothers and even our Great Grandmothers owned and used. Through them, young ladies were taught early-on the skills they would need as homemakers and hostesses.         The variety of toy glass forms includes alphabet plates, cake plates & stands, candlesticks, cups & saucers, epergnes, mugs, four piece table sets and condiment, castor, punch, beverage and berry sets.         Although the majority were made of clear glass, the rarer and more coveted pieces came in color. Favorite pieces among collectors are the ones with children and animals in the pattern. There is even a table set where each piece is a different creature.         Several Early American Pattern Glass patterns were produced in toy sizes and a surprising number of those treasures made it out of the 19th century intact!