Thank you for the reply.
I found some of my old notes and will add them here though I will admit that they were a work in progress and a bit messy. If anyone finds confirmation of errors in the following, I am more than open mionded about such things BUT PLEASE no insults. I hope the following is appreciated.
Note that many OLD caps (about ca. 1940-60s) stamped "Made in USA" were made by Franke or Coby. Both Frank & George Coby had rather interesting histories with George Coby bordering on facinating. I have not located those notes.
Notes on Cellulloid, Mercury Glass, Silvered Ornaments & Caps, and Boxes...
Celluloid:
First to clarify some errors by many sellers. Some people are listing "Unbreakable Mica-Celluloid." Mica has NEVER been used in the production of any form of plastic - especially celluloid which is an organic plastic.
There is also a proliferation of sellers who are posting hard plastic items as celluloid. These are probably mostly honest mistakes, but some sellers are doing so intentionally.
Identifying celluloid. First off, if it feels like hard plastic and looks like hard plastic, it most likely hard plastic. Celluloid is a softer plastic with often a waxy soapy feel to it. Some glossy pieces may feel a bit more like vinyl plastic rather than waxy, BUT it will be harder than vinyl plastic. In most cases, solid celluloid pieces fell lighter than a similar piece of hard plastic (though not by much) and the vintage celluloid plastic is typically thicker. That is true for pretty much all Celluloid except Acetate Celluloid which will be discussed later.
Celluloid figures are often waxy or soapy to the touch. Figures are usually painted over an un-tinted white celluloid plastic. Any exposed white celluloid will have that waxy feel or appearance. If the item is hollow with a bottom opening you will note that it typically appears to be slightly thicker than most hard plastic items. The inside of these pieces will also have that waxy semi-gloss look and not shiny.
Some celluloid items such as the ball ornaments produced in 1941 by Freeman, Taylor,... Are tinted celluloid. the hangers are typically loops cast as part of the ornaments. Tinted plastic celluloid can be shiny like hard plastic, but the feel and "sound" is distinctly different. If you tap on it, it will sound different from the sound you get from hard plastic. Celluloid is also softer than hard plastic. Typically the sound is less sharp and a bit muted. This tinted celluloid such as the Freeman Ball Ornaments, will have some flexibility though they still can be damaged easily. (See how to get dimples out of Freeman Ornaments),
CONFIRMING CELLULOID IDENTIFICATION:
If you are still uncertain one can try the heat test. ( NEVER use a flame to heat celluloid as it is highly flammable - of course if your ornament burst into flames, it was likely made of celluloid. ) If possible without damage, rub the item with your finger till it gets hot. Then smell it. Though it may not smell strongly in many cases, there should be a camphor smell --like moth balls. Most ping-pong balls are very similar (made of nitrocellulose and camphor with a stabilizer -- these are similar though harder than acetate celluloid). If you need a comparison you can use a ping pong ball to see what it smells like when heated. (though I think ping pong balls are a form of acetate celluloid since they are thin and a bit harder.) You can also run hat water over the item if it will not damage any paint.
Acetate Celluloid:
Acetate Celluloid (Any form of Acetate Ester of Celluloid, usually Cellulose Diacetate) has been around since 1865 and cellulose nitrate was heavily used in the photography industry. There is no reliable safe way to identify Acetate Celluloid. HOWEVER, most super thin "soft" plastic items predating the 1950s are made of acetate celluloid. So that thin plastic NOMA star with metal back, or similar wall Santa face or Christmas Scene are 99% likely to be Acetate Celluloid. Most thin Acetate celluloid is a bit translucent if not covered with an opaque coat of paint. ALSO, newer thin plastic decorations are typically opaque, often solid white that is not overly translucent though a light will glow through it. Many of the post 1950s thin plastic decorations may be of Nitrocellulose & camphor similar to ping pong balls.
Vintage thin Acetate cellulose is typically fragile. Though much of it may still be able to flex and bend, old acetate celluloid will tear or crack easily. Some harder acetate celluloid may be found and be a bit more similar to hard plastic but will still be distinctly different. On the rare few thicker acetate celluloid items you will have to rely upon the heat test to verify it if no other indicators are present. In many cases the properties of thicker semi-hard acetate celluloid pieces will more resemble the properties of a ping pong ball.
HEAT TEST OF ACETATE CELLULOSE - the same heat test discussed earlier should give off a camphor smell as well but keep in mind that most vintage acetate cellulose is fragile and again highly flammable.
A FINAL NOTE ON CELLULOID -- if it looks like hard plastic, feels like hard plastic, and sounds like hard plastic, then it is hard plastic 99.9% of the time. In most cases, if you are unsure after comparing to the above notes, then it is hard thermo-plastic.
Mercury Glass:
Mercury Glass:
Mercury glass has two connotations in today's collecting world. Today most collectors, sellers, and experts refer to any glass ornament silvered on the inside as Mercury glass. Most of these are silvered using silver nitrate. Today the majority of glass ornaments are silvered on the outside. With this in mind, the practice of silvering ornaments on the inside has also persisted into modern times. So what does this mean for the seller or collector who accepts this modern definition of mercury glass? For the most part, I would say that any interior silvered ornaments that predate the 1950s can be called mercury glass under this currently accepted classification. While those produced after 1960 should be considered reproduction Mercury glass. (some may prefer to include the 1950s).
HOWEVER True Mercury glass is actually a double layered glass with the silver between the 2 layers. typically there is a small sealed hole where the silver was injected. The silvering agent in only the earliest examples may actually contain mercury. Due to the risks of using mercury, most double walled mercury glass silvering agent consisted of some form of silver nitrate. Most true double walled mercury glass was produced prior to 1940 though some specialty companies currently appear to be producing them. With the reborn interest in mercury glass, there have been a few modern samples of double walled mercury glass. I am sure there may be some exceptions. Original Pre-1950s double walled true mercury glass can be considered rare.
As a collector and a seller, one should be able to note the differences of the 2 connotations of mercury glass. Under these 2 separate definitions, it is perfectly fine to sell or collect mercury glass that is single walled. One should make the notation of whether it is single walled mercury glass or double walled mercury glass especially as a seller. The primary reason is so that the collector who is looking for the original double walled mercury glass is certain that they are buying the type of ornament they are expecting to receive.
Other notes on Silvered ornaments & caps:
Prior to WWII it was often common for ornaments to have opaque, mottled, or even partially translucent areas in the ornament. While this is not 100%, it often helps to identify the age range of the ornament. Many single walled silvered ornaments are mottled and have a signature appearance of semi-translucence in the silver.
With the advent of World War II and the necessity to conserve metals, clear ornaments started to become prevalent. In addition to this, many were produced with paper caps which many consider to be the Holy Grail of ornament collecting. Keep in mind that clear ornaments became so popular that they were produced well into the 1950s but with metal caps. It is nearly impossible to tell if a clear ornament was a WWII paper cap ornament unless the original paper cap is intact.
After WWII at around 1945, ornaments were again being silvered with zeal. However, many of the late 1940s have the mottled translucency found in earlier 1930s ornaments. This is particularly true with Japanese ornaments imported after the war into the very early 1950s. Aside for ornaments predating WWII, These are often the most desirable of the single walled mercury glass ornaments.
CAPS:
Prior to 1940 most ornaments were imported. In general, very early caps were often not marked but some did have stamps of Germany or Poland on them.
(date) Original Kugals from Germany were typically of flat disks that sat flush with the ornament. Though some Kogals had short necks, it was not yet a common practice.
Early polish caps were almost flat cups and often had "Poland" stamped into them. They also produced some caps that resemble the more modern deeper metal caps with tabs. Many of these were marked. These early "modern" style caps typically are not shiny due to age and either poor or no plating. Many caps on ornaments from Poland were still produced as similar to the short flat cups similar to the old flat ones even into the 1990s.
Early German (non-Kugal) caps transitioned from the flat brass disks to more modern deeper metal cups with tabs. They were not always marked. After WWII East Germany produced ornaments that were often smuggled into West Germany for export. The caps and ornaments were typically marked the same as West German Ornaments or not marked at all.
Some German made ornaments in the Mid to late 1960s had plastic caps marked "Made in West Germany" (or "W. Germany"). West Germany was used less often in the later part of the 1980s and pretty much disappeared after 1989 when the Berlin wall came down.
Post war Japanese ornaments had caps that were of small flat cups. They are seldom larger than a few millimeters in diameter. Most are stamped with "Japan" though some were not. These caps were used well into the 1950s. Some caps in the very late 1940s started to have tabs (typically no more than 4) that were mostly stamped with "Japan." Both styles of caps carried into the 1960s though the tabbed ones became more prevalent in the 1960s.
Shiny Brite:
As opposed to the crinkled caps most collectors have come to know, early Shiny Brite Caps had plain metal caps stamped "Made in U.S. of A." Shiny Brite switched to card board caps during WII and again they are the holy grail of many collectors. With metal becoming more freely available after WWII (about 1945) Shiny Brite invented their highly recognizable metal crinkle caps. They stamped these with "Shiny Brite Made in U.S.A."
Other Manufactures:
Polish ornaments typically had metal caps marked "Poland." Most of their ornaments had small necks with small caps.
Paper Caps: Early WW II: no metallic paint, metal garland inside
Later: no garland, just a painted ornament or colored glass
Still Later: paper caps with metal hooks, no metal for caps
Finally: paper caps with a loop of string, no metal for hooks
WWII Ornaments:
(note there are often overlaps in some dating critaria)
1939- 1941 -- Silvered Ornaments still made (silver nitrate) Metal caps without crinkle read "Made in U.S. of A.
Early 1942 -- Early WW II: No silvering, but may have a metal garland inside with metal caps.
Late 1942 -- No garland, just a painted ornament or colored glass with metal caps.
Early 1943 -- Paper caps with Metal Hooks
Mid 1943 thorough 1945 -- Paper caps with a loop of string, no metal for hooks (sometimes the sting was rolled Kraft Paper
Boxes:
BOXES
Ornament boxes:
(note: there are often some overlaps as well as exceptions to the following which should be used as a rough rule-of-thumb and not set into stone)
For the most part the information on the ornament boxes is pretty consistent with the boxes for other Christmas items.
1930s mostly European imports Germany Poland
1930s (or earlier) were in mostly plain cardboard boxes. Sometimes they were stamped. Some may have paper labels with black or blue ink HOWEVER the paper labels carried well thru the 1940s. (see 1940s)
1940-1949 still saw plain boxes with often paper labels. Some boxes began being made with single color graphics -- typically green and sometimes red. It is rare to see a box from this period decorated with more than one color unless it was on a label that was attached to the box.
1945-1949 paper labels started to appear with typically no more than 2 colors red & green with blue or black ink (seen in many Japan imports) . Though there are samples of a 3rd minor color on some boxes such as yellow. Three colors or more are often seen on paper labels attached to boxes for ceramic items from companies such as Commodore, so it goes that there are likely similar ornament boxes.
early 1950s started to see boxes produced with typically no more than 2 colors -- red and green.
For the most part, window boxes did not appear until the mid 1950s.
Early 1960s boxes often had windows and were decorated with primarily 2 colors -- red and green
Mid 1960s saw gold being added to the venue of colors on the boxes. Squares (or frames) of graphics were a popular trend in box decorations.
Shiny Brite:
1940s plain cardboard with green graphic with Santa Shaking Uncle Sam's Hand
1950s Early -- Green Christmas tree with Red ornaments on white background. Uncle Santa Shaking Hands with Uncle Sam. Typically red Ornaments on both sides of tree with "Merry Christmas & "Happy New year" NO WINDOW
Also long flats or inline ornaments - decorated with red & green Christmas trees
Mid 1950s - window boxes - some with tree cutout and uncle sam image some with square windows on typically the 6 ornament boxes.
Also long flats of inline ornaments with tree bough decoration (into very early 1960s)
Early 1960s
Boxes typically with windows and tree bough decoration green sides and red and green stars on top
1965 Gold red and green in frames marked copyright 1965 max ekhardt
Poloron Marked Boxes are 1970s
COBY
late 1940s mostly 1950s had boxes decorated with either green or red ornemants and pine needles on white background with some variation up to mid 1960s
GOLD did not typically present onto boxes until the mid 1960s but mostly into the 1970s
S.s. Kesge 1960s boxes similar to 1965 Shiny Brite Eckhardts boxes but primarily in gold frames with red decorations. (most orenaments improted from W. germany)
I also have some notes on German & Polish ornaments made in South America. It is interesting to note that The Shiny Bright reign had a hand in this history as well. (caps marked cali brazil is an example). There are also some WWII & Occupied Japan era ornaments made in South America as well. Those are often identified by period coloring and decoration. Again, I have to find my notes on those. If there is interest, I will look for those notes (a computer crash had caused some problems in this.)
evry1nositswindy • seller since 2013
