How can you tell a Kugel ornament?
Original kugels are generally lined inside with silver. The outside colors are red, cobalt, blue, green, silver, gold and amethyst. There is a hole in the top of each ornament which is concealed by a brass cap. Caps may or may not have an embossed design.
One of the most important indicators that an ornament is vintage is patina, or the wear that comes with age. Antique and vintage Christmas ornaments will show some wear, even if they are in excellent condition. You'll see the mercury glass flaking off a bit or the metal taking on a dull appearance from tarnish.
Kugel is a German word that means "ball" and can be used to describe any type of ball-like object. Collectors used this term to describe any early thick glass ornament with a decorative cap. Early Kugels were too heavy to hang on tree branches; instead they were suspended from the ceiling.
- Vintage Glass Annealed Leg Victorian Child With Long Hair Christmas Ornament. ...
- Gladys Boalt Vintage Cleopatra Christmas Ornament. ...
- Rare Antique German Mercury Glass Three-Inch Kugel Christmas Ornament. ...
- Early Cotton Batting Father Christmas Ornament.
As a collector, one big way to tell if Shiny Brite ornaments are authentic is by their hangers. Pre WWII, the caps were stamped with “Made in the US. of A.”. As I mentioned before, during the war, the metal caps were replaced with cardboard caps and hangers.
The wreath is the most luxurious ornament you could buy to celebrate Christmas, but think twice about where you'll place it, since the price it's an astounding $4.6 million.
Affordable Glass Ball Ornaments
For instance, an entire box of stenciled Shiny Brite ornaments dating to the 1940s through the '60s in excellent condition might sell for $50 to $60. If you shop around to find them one at a time, you'll likely pay in the $5 to $10 range, or a bit more for rare or extra special examples.
Silvered-glass objects with acid-etched decoration, often of wheat or flowers, turn up frequently; cut silvered glass is much rarer. (You can tell the difference by rubbing a finger over the decoration. Cut glass has definite edges, while acid-etched glass will feel slightly rough.)
A traditional German Christmas-tree requires traditional handmade Erzgebirge ornaments. They are handmade, made out of wood and are also designed with love - as the Erzgebirge items always are.
New mercury glass does not contain any mercury. If these are broken, there is no additional toxicity beyond the sharp fragments of broken glass. Antique ornaments could contain a small amount of mercury mixed with other metals trapped between the two glass layers of the ornament's walls.
What was the first Hallmark ornament?
When did Hallmark ornaments start? Hallmark ornaments started in 1973 with 6 glass balls and 12 yarn figurines.
Originally sold at Woolworth for as little as 2 cents for six, Shiny Brites are still popular today. Value: $12.
In 1937, Max Eckardt established Shiny Brite ornaments, working with the Corning Glass company to mass-produce glass Christmas ornaments.
These hand-blown glass ornaments were first produced in Germany in the mid-19th century, but in the midst of World War II, European imports were banned and Shiny Brites were no longer available to families in the US.
Use glass cleaner to remove any spots or stains. To clean decades worth of stubborn film, rub a paste wax, such as Turtle Wax, onto the surface and carefully buff until it shines. Use cotton swabs to clean small crevices.
The longest-running current ornament series is Frosty Friends, now in its 35th year. Since the line's inception, Hallmark has introduced more than 8,500 Keepsake Ornaments and more than 100 ornament series.
In 1981, the White House Historical Association released its first annual White House Christmas Ornament, “Angel in Flight,” which depicted a copper weather vane inspired by those atop many historic American buildings, such as Mount Vernon and Independence Hall.
The first decorated trees were adorned with apples, white candy canes, and pastries in the shapes of stars, hearts and flowers. Glass baubles were first made in Lauscha, Germany, by Hans Greiner (1550–1609), who produced garlands of glass beads and tin figures that could be hung on trees.
- Here's a close-up of a newer plastic garland. ...
- Mercury glass beads are strung (see the end of the string on the right), and the beads move along the string easily.
Mercury glass is blown, silvered, and painted to look artistically pleasing. It was first created around 1840 and lives on today in decorative objects like ornaments. It can bring vintage charm to any event or storefront window display.
When did they stop making mercury glass?
"Mercury" silvered glass was produced originally around 1840 until at least 1930 in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), Germany and was also manufactured in England from 1849 to 1855.
Originally sold at Woolworth for as little as 2 cents for six, Shiny Brites are still popular today. Value: $12.
