The first blown glass ornament were made in Germany and are called “kugels,” simply meaning balls, or spheres. Notice how the metal top is embedded in the glass.

Shiny Brite glass ornaments from the 1950s and’60s are coming on the market these days, and they’ve become quite popular. That’s because their colors are vibrant,

Not all ornaments are glass. It’s hard not to be cheered up at the sight of this elf band (about $30). They are handmade of paper in Japan in the 1950s; so are the angels (about $3 each).

One of our holiday tips this week was to include some vintage costume jewelry or ornaments with your gift wrapping as a charming, yet, inexpensive keepsakes.

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Some folks say they have trouble getting in the holiday spirit. If that’s true with you, I recommend you immediately go to wherever you store them and get out the boxes of your old Christmas ornaments I know it’s still a bit early, but I guarantee those ornaments will work their charms on you.

If you don’t want to get your ornaments out yet, visit any of the antique shops in the county. Taken together you’ll find one of the most extensive collections of old ornaments anywhere in these shops.

The blown glass ornaments that we are all so familiar with originated in the mid-19th Century among German glassblowers. Initially, they made these on their own time just for their own families and friends.

These glass ornaments are called “kugels,” the German word for “spheres” or “globes.” They are hollow blown glass, filled with a mercury-based substance and sealed with an imbedded metal top.

Original kugels are quite thick and heavy. You really couldn’t decorate a whole tree with them without bracing the limbs in some way. These were meant as accent pieces, special ornaments to catch the light here and there.

By the 1870s kugles became more popular throughout Europe, but in America they were still fairly rare, available only in the big cities, and quite expensive. One man changed all that, and turned glass ornaments into the primary decoration on American Christmas trees. His name was F. W. Woolworth.
Woolworth’s first Five and Ten Cent store (the equivalent of today’s successful Dollar store) was in Lancaster, Pa. He had seen the glass ornaments from Germany that the Pennsylvania “Dutch” had brought over, and had been persuaded to purchase some wholesale in Philadelphia. When all his stock sold out so quickly, he decided he would go right to the source.

In 1890, Woolworth personally traveled to Germany and negotiated such a large purchase of glass ornaments that he was able to sell them in America for nickels and dimes. Those nickels and dimes added up to millions of dollars for his stores, and made glass ornaments affordable to every American family.

When you can find them in antique shops today, old kugels will be priced from $50 to $300 depending on size and color. Reds, dark blues and purples are rarer.

These days, ornaments from the 1950s and 60s are just coming on the market, and among the most popular are the Shiny Brite brand made in America and the handmade Japanese paper ornaments.

Appraisals: Kugel, amethyst; $300. Kugel, gold grape, $260; Kugel, Cobalt, 15-1/2” diameter, 200; Set of 7 plastic angel heads, German, $5; Three original boxes of Shiny Brite ornaments $60); Loose collection of 75 Shiny Brites, $26.

Learn more about identifying and evaluating Christmas ornaments in these two books: “Christmas Ornaments, Lights and Decorations” by George Johnson (Collector Books) and the beautiful and comprehensive “Christmas Through the Decades” by Robert Brenner (Schiffer).
We have two holiday tips this week: First, consider decorating your gift wrapping with a special antiques ornament or a neat piece of vintage costume jewelry. Our second tip: If you are planning giving homemade baked goods or candy, or bringing a potluck dish or hostess gift. Consider making using and antique bowl, plate box or jar as a keepsake gift for when the goodies are gone.

In the mood yet?

Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.

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