Well, most likely the tank you got is made of normal float glass... it's the common type of glass that the majority of tanks are usually made of. I guess you could consider normal float glass as "bare minimum" standard.
The higher end glass you are referring to is high-clarity low-iron glass or crystal glass, the main difference is it is much clearer and doesn't have the greenish tint like normal float glass.
Do note that other than the glass material, the silicone workmanship on the seams and glass edges also makes a noticeable difference. Higher quality tanks will usually have very minimal silicone with almost no excess spilling out (it will look almost like there is no silicone at all), on the other hand lower quality tanks will tend to have very thick uneven silicone seams with lots of excess spilling out. That's something you have to inspect closely before purchasing a tank.
Just for reference, you can check out a glass comparison in this thread:
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...mal-Glass-Tank
Nowadays if you are looking at ready-made tanks, the crystal glass versions usually cost just abit more than normal glass tank, especially for the smaller tank sizes, so it makes sense to go for crystal glass whenever possible. As tank sizes go larger (>2ft and larger), the price gap starts to widen more and more.
If you custom made a tank, the difference in their prices can differ by alot, there is quite a steep premium for custom made crystal glass tanks, so you'll just have to get quotes to compare and see which type of glass tanks can match your budget.
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