Start a new Tradition III

This article is the third article in a series suggesting ways of starting new traditions in families with children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. In my previous two articles we discussed collecting glass patterns. We also reviewed how much fun it was to involve children in the decision making process on selecting the pattern and then helping them to find pieces to start their collection.

When my nephew was smaller, I would take him to the zoo and he would get so excited to see all of the animals. He loved those animals so much he would run down to the next exhibit to see the next animal and I was having a hard time keeping up with him. I am absolutely certain that every child would love to have a collection of live zoo animals to play with, but that would not be practical for any number of reasons. A more practical approach would be to introduce children to glass animals. An advantage of collecting glass animals is that they do not need to be fed, watered, walked or curbed.

I know a young lady named Mandy who is still collecting glass animals. She started collecting them after her parents gave her a few as a present one year when she was a child. Every year she adds more animals to her growing collection. Mandy is now in her mid-20's and still loves to go animal hunting every chance she gets. When she was younger both of her parents would take her out shopping for them. They would visit antique shops as well as glass and pottery shows looking for animals to add to her special collection.

Glass animals come in many different shapes, styles, sizes, colors and decorations. Some animals are highly detailed, some traditional, some modern and others are more generic in appearance. Here are just some of the different types of animals children or adults for that matter could collect: bears, butterflies, birds, bulls/cows, camels, cats, chickens, deer, dogs, dolphins, ducks, eagles, elephants, fish, frogs, geese, giraffes, herons, horses, lions, owls, peacocks, pelicans, owls, penguins, pheasants, pigeons, pigs, rabbits, seahorses, seals, squirrels, starfish, swans, tigers, turkeys, turtles and many more.

All of the major glass companies produced glass animals. Some of the companies designed candlesticks, bowls, pitchers, vases, stemware and even a rocking horse that was actually used as an ink blotter. They also produced items such as bowls with swan handles on them. The Westmoreland Glass Company produced a large console bowl with handles in the shape of an elephant head. The Elephant head handles were also capable of holding a standard size candle for formal dining occasions. The Cambridge Glass Company produced a series of swans that range in size from a salt dip to a large 16" swan punch bowl. The swan punch bowl is breath taking to see in person. The Heisey Glass Company designed a flower holder that had an opening on the top of it so a duck or king fisher could be inserted into it. The Viking Glass Company produced a series of small glass animals that are extremely cute in appearance and come in many style, sizes and colors. The easiest color to find is Crystal! The rarest color would be one of the colors that changes colors when viewed under different light sources. Glass animal prices are really affordable and range from a few dollars to up several thousand for really rare animals. When companies produced few animals in a particular line or when the color was specialized those animals are considered rare and therefore expensive to purchase. The second edition of Glass Animals book by Dick and Pat Spencer is an excellent source of information about collecting glass animals. The book is divided into sections based on animal types which make it easy to use. The book provides information on companies, reproductions, size, color and prices.

The RMDGS club will be holding special $25 gift certificate drawings every 2 hours for children under the age of 18 at the next glass and pottery show. The times for the drawings are: Sat. (12pm, 2pm & 4pm) & Sun. (1pm & 3pm). There will be a special drawing box set up just for children to enter their names.

In addition to glass animals, the show will provide collectors the opportunity to purchase museum quality glass and pottery to decorate their home or office. The theme for this year's show is "Deco on Display". The Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art will display part of the museums extensive collection of modern and art deco holdings at the show. A fabulous collection of "Nudes" crafted by the Cambridge Glass Company will be featured. Large exhibits of Nudes are truly breath taking when seen in person. In addition, there will be three extremely rare Cambridge Art Deco Mannequin heads on display that must be seen to be believed. Additionally 13-15 exhibits featuring Art Deco and Modern themes will be available for the public to view.

The show is located at the Douglas County Events Center, 500 Fairgrounds Road (Exit 181 from I25) in Castle Rock, Co. 80104. Dates: April 26 th and 27 th. Hours: Sat. (10am - 5pm) Sun. (11am - 4pm) Admission: $4 good for both days. Children under 12 admitted free. Parking is free, food is available, and the Events Center is handicap accessible. Show Link: ( Glass & Pottery Show).