Vintage Mid-Century Christmas Ornaments: Making Sense of the Hype
Vintage Mid-Century Christmas Ornaments: Making Sense of the Hype
The Basics
Mid-Century glass ornaments, are in my opinion the most whimsical and fun ornaments of the 20th century! The colors are so bright, the forms are so varied and not to mention how most were created to better catch the lights on vintage Christmas trees, making them all made to be eye-catching as well.
Mercury Glass Ornaments
Most mid-century glass ornaments are created using mercury glass, or silvered glass, which is glass that was been blown double walled before being silvered with a liquid solution and then sealed. You can recognize an ornament as mercury glass by observing its characteristics. Mercury glass has a finish that is often described as being similar to that of antique mirrors, and will also almost always gain patina. Many mercury glass ornaments also are more of a bluish tint and the majority of these treasured vintage ornaments were of very high quality. Some of these ornaments were also decorated with glitter using stencils. Those ornaments are known as mica stenciled, referencing the glitter that was used on the stenciled ornaments was actually mica. This is evident in the size and shape of the fragments of mica, which will be much less uniform than modern glitters. Lastly, look at the ornament cap. Even if it is not marked, it will often tell you a lot about how old the ornament is. Vintage caps were usually quite simple, with some even being made from paper!
Figural Glass Ornaments
Vintage figural glass ornaments were often mouth blown into a glass mold. They came in many different shapes of the season including pinecones, Santa's, fish, pickles, stars, candy canes, Christmas trees and many more. Some are meant for fun and others can carry messages or symbolism of something else. The varied nature of these vintage ornaments is also seen in their values, which can range from a few dollars each to over $100 for each ornament.
Free Blown Ornaments
Many free blown ornaments can come in many unique designs and can be some of the most valuable vintage ornaments. Vintage Free Blown Glass Ornaments have been known to fetch prices up to several hundred dollars each!
Indented Glass Ornaments
Indented Glass Ornaments are named for their faceted indentions which served as a way to create sparkle and reflect the light of the Christmas tree. Ornaments of this type were first introduced when Christmas trees were still being lit with candles versus electric lights. They remained popular well into the early 20th century and would experience a resurgence in their popularity again in the 1950s. Today they can typically be obtained for around $10-$20 each.
Finial Glass Tree Toppers
Your mid-century vintage Christmas tree just isn't complete without your German hand blown glass finial tree topper! Finial tree toppers actually date as far back as the Victorian era!
Vintage Unbreakable Christmas Ornaments
Unbreakable Christmas ornaments were the solution to the problem of the weighted down branches of new lightweight aluminum Christmas trees decorated with heavy, glass ornaments. They were lightweight since they were made of plastic and also offered the benefit that they would not break when dropped by a curious child or simply fell off the tree and hit the floor. There are many kinds of vintage unbreakable plastic mid-century Christmas ornaments including Jewel Brite ornaments, Bradford bells & disco balls, Sputnik stars, and the coveted Twinklers.
Twinkler Durable Plastic Christmas Ornaments
Twinklers: "When placed above the light it whirls - it flashes - it's perpetual motion!" and of course, "Made of Durable Plastic - Not Glass." These unique little plastic ornaments are actually pretty hard to come by now and to get a box of 12 just like the ones pictured above, you'd better be prepared to pay $200-$300! These ornaments don't look like much I know and would be easy to overlook, but don't toss them out by accident, please!! Not even a single Twinkler ornament can not be bought for less than $25 online.
JewelBrite Unbreakable Plastic Indoor/Outdoor Christmas Ornaments
JewelBrite Unbreakable Plastic Ornaments are my personal favorite mid-century Christmas ornaments. My grandmother has several of them and has put them on her Christmas tree for as long as I can remember helping her decorate. I was always enamored with all her pretty things, but these ornaments were special since they only came out once a year! And since they were plastic, she let me hold them and rearrange their position on the tree as often as I liked! I loved peering in the front window of each ornament and taking in the scene inside. Each one was beautiful and different from the others, and so very unlike anything I had ever seen before! I am still enchanted each time I see a new JewelBrite ornament and I think I probably always will be, but I am not the only one! These little beauties are selling every easily for $10 and up for each one! These adorable plastic ornaments come in a variety of shapes as shown in the pictures above. They are often found in circles, teardrops, icicles, lanterns, diamonds, octagons, hexagons, and perhaps even several more. You might also find them described as "diorama ornaments" or "shadowbox ornaments". Inside you will find a tiny plastic figure acting as the centerpiece of the ornament. This cold be one of many Christmas favorites including Santa Claus, elves, angels, flowers, bells, snowmen, reindeer, a nativity scene, carolers, Christmas trees, and several others.
Other Unbreakable Favorites
Bradford's Bells truly are a holiday classic, as are these fun glitter ball ornaments. And no one could forget the Bradford "the Unbreakable Kind", Disco balls? Surely not me!
In the middle of the 20th century, many a Chenille bird migrated to living rooms across America and flocked on their Christmas tree branches. They ranged from rainbow to red to peacock. The multicolored foil pompoms in the middle are affordable and are another lightweight ornament designed to reflect the lighting from the Christmas tree. The far right ornament is the Sputnik Star and this is another somewhat hard to come by and therefore often pricey vintage mid-century Christmas ornament. Recently on eBay, a set of 15, in nice condition and in multiple colors as well as in two different sizes, sold for over $200!
Elves, Gnomes, Angels & Bells
Pixie Knee-Hugger Elves from Japan are super adorable and are still maintaining their position as a vintage mid-century favorite. They are right alongside gnomes and angels with that same sweet face, and of course the bells!
Beaded, Wood, Felt, & Other Handcrafted Ornaments
While not nearly as popular, nor valuable or rare as some of the others, many still yearn for the charm of these handcrafted favorites including felt ornaments, beaded or sequined ornaments, painted wooden ornaments, and others. This is most likely because Christmas is seen by many as such a nostalgic time already and many people have good memories tied to these items of either making ornaments with loved ones, or simply hanging them on the tree, and they wish to relive those memories and/or share those traditions with younger generations.
Brands to Watch For
Shiny Brite Glass Ornaments
Shiny Brite glass ornaments are a collector favorite and it's easy to see why with their bright colors, bold patterns, and fun shapes. Shiny Brite ornaments made from mercury glass were introduced in the 1940s and continued making ornaments on into the unbreakable era.
Jewelbrite by Decor
Decor Noel, Bradford Holiday Classics & Santa Land
Fantasia, Pyramid, and Paragon
Well that's the basics of what you should be looking for out in the wild at thrift stores, yard sales, and curb alerts this season! I hope you learned something new and share your favorites with me in the comments.
Until next time, Happy Hunting!
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