How to Date a Glass Blown Christmas Ball
According to TheHolidaySpot.com, the first Christmas tree in the United States was reported to have been set up by German pioneers in the 1830s. They were also the ones who introduced glass-blown ornaments to the United States in the 1860s. It is difficult to imagine the holiday season without the tradition of setting up a tree and adding ornaments cherished from years past. It takes time and research to discover the age of glass-blown Christmas ornaments, but it can be well worth the trouble. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Check your ornament for a manufacturer date and name. Some ornaments might still have an original tag attached to them.
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Determine if your ornament was blown free-form or using a mold. The majority of free-form ornaments will have a lack of perfect symmetry, but it can still be hard to tell without an expert eye. According to TheAntiquesAlmanac.com, for almost a century, 95 percent of the glass-blown ornaments in the United States were created in Germany. The first ones were created in 1848 and were done free form; the use of molds came in 1867. Popular molds were pine cones and fruits as well as the very common glass-blown balls.
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Purchase a Christmas ornament identification guide such as the "Pictorial Guide to Christmas Ornaments & Collectibles (Identification and Values)" by George Johnson. Guides such as these have full-color pictures and explain identifying marks.
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Input a description of your ornament into a popular online auction site. This is useful for determining the current value of your ornament as well as possibly helping you identify the age.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Christmas Glass Ball Ornament image by Thorsten Schnier from Fotolia.com
