By: Judy Penz Sheluk
As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, December, 2005

WW ΙΙ Blue Glass. While of little monetary value, there is a poignant appeal to American ornaments made in WW ΙΙ. Although they were machine-blown and mass-produced, these ornaments serve to illustrate critical supplies becoming scarce. First, there was no silver nitrate to silver the ornaments, as evidenced by their transparency. Later, there was no metal for caps, which were made of paper, as were the paper inserts used for hanging. When the chemical used for lacquer became limited, it was replaced by a gel-like coating. Many ornaments from this time were made in red, white or blue as a symbol of patriotism during this time. $7

For many of us, decorating the Christmas tree is a time honored tradition. Who hasn’t stopped to remember the meaning behind a particular ornament before hanging it on a tinseled branch? Yet trimming an evergreen tree, at least in North America, did not begin until the 19^th century.

In Germany, Christmas trees date back to the 15^th century, when evergreens were used in church plays. Adorned with apples, the evergreen symbolized a Paradise tree. The custom found its way into the homes of German families, who decorated their trees with small, white wafers; later decorations included tiny edible pastries shaped like stars, angels, hearts and flowers. Over the next 200 years, the practice of trimming a tree spread throughout Europe.

Glassmaking had been a tradition in the villages of the Thüringen Mountain region of Germany since the 16^th century, especially in the village of Lauscha. During the 1820s, artisans began making household decorations by silvering the inside of glass balls with zinc or lead.

Pine cone/acorn/tree. These three ornaments are representative of the more traditional forms created in the early years of ornament blowing, during the 1920s and 30s. The goal in these days was to produce glass as thin and light as possible, so that ornaments would hang effortlessly on the tree. Production was via cottage industry, so there are endless variations of natural themes; owls and other birds were also very popular. The cone, acorn and fir tree were all symbolic of fecundity, fertility, new life, hope, and the everlasting quality of the ‘evergreen’. These forms have continued to modern times. Cone and fir tree are likely German, the acorn Russian. $6 to $15 each.

Topo Gigio. An Italian mouse made famous on the Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960s, Topo Gigio became a bit hit in the Latin American market after his stardom in the U.S. This ornament was made in Columbia for export to the U.S.A. and dates to the late 1960s/early1970s. $45

In 1857, Lauschan glass blower Louis Greiner-Schlotfeger developed a formula for silvering the exterior glass, and protected the mirrored shine with lacquer. He is also credited with making the first molded glass ornament, created by blowing a thin glass bubble into a pine cone-shaped wooden cookie mold.

Prior to Greiner-Schlotfeger’s improvements, glass ornaments were quite thick with a dull finish. In Europe, this type of ornament all but disappeared by 1860. However, they could still be found in the belongings of families immigrating to the United States, and the decorated evergreen gradually began to gain recognition in North America.

Store-bought, non-edible Christmas tree ornaments were first introduced to the United States around 1870, and nearly all were made in Germany. The earliest examples were made of beeswax, with angels a common theme, or from lead alloy with faceted ‘jewels’ shaped to resemble stars and crosses.

The most influential event in American ornament history can be credited to F.W. Woolworth, who purchased $25 worth of blown-glass ornaments from a German importer in 1880. Although he was doubtful of their appeal, his store was in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, an area with many people of German descent. The ornaments sold within two days. Ten years later, Woolworth owned 14 stores and would personally visit Dresden and Lauscha to place his order of 200,000 hand-cast lead and hand-blown glass ornaments. The trip proved worthwhile; Woolworth retailed over $25 million dollars of Christmas decorations.

From 1880 until World War 11, Dresden craftsman created intricately embossed, three-dimensional cardboard ornaments in a variety of shapes, from Victorian houses to skates, trains, ships, musical instruments and animals. Each ornament was stamped and cut into several parts which would be glued together and then covered with silver or gold paper. Occasionally, the ornaments would be hand-painted or embellished with small bits of fabric or silk. While the workmanship was exquisite, Americans preferred glass, and today, surviving examples of early Dresden cardboard ornaments are quite rare. Russia also produced exceptional Dresden-style ornaments from the 1920s through to the 1970s. These are distinguished by a brass-colored gold, aluminum leaf silver, and muted pastel paint.

Wire wrapped Victorian basket, 1890-1900, $150. Photo Courtesy of Barbara Brunner-Romer www.christmas-past-collector.com  and Gary Heidinger

Santa milk glass light bulb, Japanese, 1940, $25. Photo Courtesy of Barbara Brunner-Romer www.christmas-past-collector.com  and Gary Heidinger.

Dresden ornament golf bag, German, 3.5 inches tall, 1890-1900, $565. Photo Courtesy of Barbara Brunner-Romer www.christmas-past-collector.com  and Gary Heidinger

In 1925, Japan began exporting large quantities of glass ball ornaments to North America, giving German makers their first real competition. Soon after, Czechoslovakia began exporting fancy ornaments of high quality. By 1935, the U.S. imported over 250 million ornaments.

            It was not until the import restrictions imposed by WW11 that Americans entered the Christmas ornament business. American Max Echardt started the Shiney Brite Company in 1939, using the Corning Glass Company’s ribbon glassmaking machine to make round Christmas ornaments. Shiney Brite became America’s leading maker of ornaments, but the war had an impact on the use of silver and metal. By 1944, Christmas ornaments were unsilvered, and the cap and hanger were made from paper.

            During the 1940s and 50s, West Germany attempted to recapture the market using old German ornament molds. They faced little success; in the United States this went beyond patriotism; consumers had become accustomed to buying round American-made ornaments by the box. As the 1950s progressed, Styrofoam, plastic and other non-breakable ornaments became fashionable. The trend towards lighter, break-resistant and ‘modern’ ornaments was furthered by the aluminum Christmas tree, first introduced in the 1960s.

            In 1973, Hallmark introduced the first ‘official’ collectible Christmas ornament. Their Keepsake Ornament collection featured six glass ball ornaments and 12 yarn figures, each unique in design, year-dated and available only for a limited time. Since then, Hallmark has introduced more than 3,000 different Keepsake Ornaments covering over 100 themes.

Holiday Barbie: The first in the Holiday Barbie series, launched at $14.75. Secondary market value $150. Image and original pricing information is courtesy of Hallmark. All secondary market values are courtesy of The Ornament Shop, Inc. www.ornament-shop.com . Unless otherwise stated, values are for Mint in Box condition.