Wednesday, December 16, 2015

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The Story Behind Vintage "Shiny Brite" Christmas Ornaments

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My first Shiny Brite ornaments.
If you frequent antique or vintage shops, you’ve undoubtedly seen Shiny Brite ornaments, even if you have no idea of their name. They’re the colorful, often intricately painted glass ornaments, ranging from classic red to hot pink to candy-striped. They’re usually a bit expensive for someone (ahem, me) who’s used to thrift-store prices—maybe $20 to $30 a box—but I recently found a set of 12 in their original cardboard box for $4.50 at a charity shop. 

I’ve always admired them, but now my curiosity is officially piqued: What’s the history behind these adorable little ornaments?

The Shiny Brite story begins after World War I with Max Eckardt, a German born in 1890.

Though Eckardt was from Oberlind, Germany—just 20 miles away from Lauscha, a hub for glass ornament makers—he first trained in the toy industry. In 1926, though, he officially entered the ornament business with his brother, Ersnt, opening a factory in Oberlind, where his relatives and employees hand-decorated the glass balls. His company also had an office in New York City at 1107 Broadway, which later became part of the International Toy Center. Max emigrated to NYC in the late 1920s. 

With another war on the horizon, Eckardt feared the United States’ supply of German glass ornaments would be compromised, compelling him to found, in 1937, the Shiny Brite Company. The inspiration for the name is obvious: The insides of the ornaments were coated with silver nitrate so they would stay shiny, season after season.

To keep his company afloat, Eckardt sought the help of New York’s Corning Glass Company in 1937—with the promise that Woolworth’s would place a large order if Corning could modify its glass ribbon machine, which made light bulbs, to produce ornaments. The machine switchover was a success—molten glass was shaped into balls with the help of compressed air—and Woolworth’s ordered more than 235,000 ornaments; in December 1939, the first machine-made batch was shipped to Woolworth’s Five-and-Ten-Cent Stores, where they sold for two to ten cents apiece.


My favorite Shiny Brite style.
Eckardt’s fear proved prescient: Hitler’s rise to power, along with the British blockade, stopped the import of European ornaments to the U.S. in 1939.

By 1940, Corning was producing about 300,000 unadorned ornaments per day, sending the clear glass balls to outside artists, including those at Max Eckardt’s factory in New Jersey, for decoration. The ornaments were lined with silver nitrate, then run through a lacquer bath, decorated by Eckardt’s employees, and finally, packaged in brown cardboard boxes. At first, they were strictly silver, but eventually, Eckardt produced red, green, gold, pink, and blue ornaments. Corning also began offering a variety of shapes, including tops, bells, icicles, teardrops, trees, lanterns, and pinecones. 


The showroom address, 45 East 17th Street, NYC, is now a Sephora.
During World War II, however, the lacquer paint and silver lining became scarce, forcing Eckardt to make clear ornaments with thin, pastel stripes, which didn’t require as much pigment. The metal caps and hooks were replaced with cardboard and yarn. Some ornaments came with a tiny sprig of tinsel inside, but eventually, even this small amount of metal was prohibited during the war. 


A Sears catalog ad from the 1950s for Shiny Brite ornaments.

After the war, the crimped metal caps returned, with the addition of the words “Shiny Brite Made in U.S.A.” on the top. As part of the rebuilding effort, the U.S. government shipped Eckardt and his son, Harold, off to West Germany, hoping to breathe new life into the German glass ornament industry. There, they set up a factory in Wallenfells, which they named Lanissa, after Max’s three granddaughters (“L” for Lynne, “an” for Anne, and “issa” for Allison, whose nickname was Lissa). 

Stateside, Corning continued to crank out Shiny Brite ornaments—by the 1950s, production reached a rate of 1,000 per minute. (Machines also now painted the ornaments.) The 1950s was the Shiny Brite heyday, with Eckardt operating four New Jersey factories to keep pace with the demand. In 1955, Thor, a Chicago washing machine manufacturer, purchased the company, which eventually produced about 75 percent of the ornaments sold worldwide. 


Source: Christmas Nostalgia
Eckardt died in late 1961, and shortly thereafter, Shiny Brite's light began to fade, possibly due to the popularization of plastic. In the late 1990s, designer Christopher Radko revived the Shiny Brite name, and in 2001, began selling reproductions of the originals. 

101 comments:

  1. They bring back such memories. Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. I have several of my grandmother's and my husband's grandmother's :)

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    2. What a wonderful piece of history! I remember these ornaments so well. I can see myself admiring these colorful, shiny bulbs and choosing which one to hang on the tree next! Loved these all through my childhood. My 91 yr old Mother still has them (in the Shiny Brite boxes!) Thank you for sharing this story��!!

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    3. I too have several boxes of these ornaments that were my parent's. I use them each season. So glad to learn of the past history of Shiny Brite.

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    4. This is the 1st year in 40 that I have not hung some on my tree....was thinking of taking them to a thrift shop...but, may have to give it a 2nd thought....Hmmm!





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    5. I have 3 boxes right here. I normally stick a few on my tree but had no room. I am cherishing them

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  2. They bring back such good memories. Thank you for sharing these.

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    1. I have some that were my grandmother's and some from my mother in law

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  3. I have quite a few .. ! my mom left them to me, they were her dad's. even have the box shown in the picture..
    thank you for sharing the history !!

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    1. Me too!!
      I have other German glass ornaments that relative sent to me. I also have a Bavarian Angel. I love these so much.

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  4. Excellent article, thanks for sharing.

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  5. I have several of these ornaments and always looking for more. I remember buying many of these when I was a young kid back in the late 50's and starting collecting when I saw more. My christmas tree is vintage to say the least. All ornaments are hand blown.

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  6. Great history/art lesson. My learnin' for the day! Thanks.

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  7. How does one tell the old from the newer ones???

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    1. The most telling part of the ornament is the cap: The newer ones are stamped with "Shiny Brite Made in the U.S.A." on the cap. If you find one with a cardboard cap, you know it was made during WWII.

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    2. the ones made during the war are referred to as "unsilvered shiny brites"

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    3. I have 3 of the "War ornaments" that I grew up with. They are unsilvered with painted stripes. Never see them anywhere for sale or in other collections. I did not know that they were also Shiny Brites.

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    4. I have 3 of the old 'War Ornaments' that I grew up with. They are unsilvered, tinted glass with tinsel inside and painted stripes.I remember my sister and I hated them as children and would hang them on the back of our tree. Now they are favorites!

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    5. I have 3 of the "War Ornaments". They are unsilvered with tinsel inside and painted stripes. I did not know that they were Shiny Brites. As children, my sister & I would hang them on the back of the tree. Now they are much loved favorites placed on the front.

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    6. I have some of the War ornaments - I've always hung some on my tree because they were from my parents who wed before WWII. I also have some pre-WWII ornaments from Shiny Brights from both of my grandmothers.

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  8. Very interesting article, thank you! I do love these old glass ornaments. I might even have some of these. I will check my box tonight.

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  9. I recognize several from my childhood tree

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  10. Growing up, we had a lot of these kinds of ornaments on our Christmas tree year after year. My older sister managed to keep 2 or 3 of them. We also had bubble lights which were my favorite.

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    1. My Mother in law,still has a complete set of bubble lights she pit's on the tree every year. We love them.

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  11. I have always loved the shiny brite ornaments I still have from my childhood. Many of mine are in original boxes! I tested up the first time I saw Radkos reproductions in Macy's several years ago because it stirred so many precious memories of my mom and her love for Christmas. I bought 4 large boxes, one for each of my adult children to have their own They are quite familiar with the history of our collection. Thanks to this article, I now can share the ornaments history!

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  12. Oh, how I love these! I remember staring at my Grandma's in amazement, as a little girl.

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  13. I have a whole set that was my Grandmother's, then my Mom's and now mine. My Mom always took such loving care of them, and several have the yarn and cardboard tops! I had no idea about the history of this company! Thank you for sharing!

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  14. This was very intersting. I have found my Shiney Brite at estate sales years ago. I can't wait to get them out every Christmas. Thank you so much for the history lesson.

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  15. My mom had many of these ornaments and left them to me and my 2 siblings. We treasure each one of them and proudly display them on our trees today. It was so good to read the history of these wonderful parts of my life.

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  16. I have all the ones my parents had since 1936 through 1959.

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  17. These go on our tree every year with loving care. I think we take more care with the boxes than the balls sometimes. Both are vintage treasures.

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  18. I scoop up a few every year at a giant estate sale here in Davis, CA. Love 'em

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  19. I, too, have many from my mom. I was little in the 1950's and i remember mom buying some at Woolworth's. Some are in the original boxes. The Radko reproductions are lovely but lack something. I found some old ones on Ebay.

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  20. I worked from 1965 to 1998 in the Corning Glass plant in Wellsboro, PA that made these ornaments. I was responsible for maintenance and manufacturing of the Corning Ribbon Machines in Wellsboro from 1978 to 1998. Visited Eckardt factories in US and Germany. Millions and millions of these ornaments were made in all sizes and shapes. It was an exciting time. The glass Plant in Wellsboro was closed as of the end of September 2016. The closing marks the end of 100 plus years of Corning Ribbon Machine glass making.

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    1. Bill, I'm so fascinated to understand how the ornaments were painted, mica's and stenciled. Was this done by machine or by hand? What kind of paints were used etc. Are there any photos or film on how this was done?

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    2. Bill Kilmer,
      Thank you for being a part of history that has given so many of us precious memories. I love these ornaments.

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    3. Hi Bill, it was my father, Wayne Knowlton who helped engineer the capping machine at the Wellsboro plant in the 50's. I worked a shift on this line that automatically inserted the metal "caps" and wire loop one summer between semesters.

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    4. Why do some boxs have seconds stamped on them?

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  21. Thank you for your article. It's nice go know the history of the ornaments I consider my favorite. Still have Mom's & the box they came in (the one with the green ink).

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  22. I dearly love Shiny Bright's ! We had so many of these beauties on our tree when I was growing up. They hold such wonderful memories.
    I managed to keep a few and treasured them so much. I always put them on my Christmas tree. Last year my tree fell over and crushed all of them but one. I was heart broken. I'm hoping I can find some inexpensive ornaments this year.

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  23. I have a few and had one of those boxes and unfortunately it was so old it did not hold up and I tossed it. Silly me. :( I love them.

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  24. They are beautiful little treasures. I love them!

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  25. HI, thanks for sharing this wonderful history of Shiny-Brites. What is equally interesting is that Corning was making light bulbs for the war effort, and that the Shiny-Brite ornaments were made using light bulb machines -- yes, machines that were making light bulbs since the 1920's. Hence, in America, many people had the habit of calling ornaments "bulbs" and the name "Shiny-Brite" came out of the fact that these were made on light bulb glass blowing machines. The ornaments were shiny and bright like a light bulb. Also, a correction: I never "bought" the Shiny-Brite name. The company wound down by the mid 1970's mostly due to other companies creating machine ornaments at lower prices, and that upper management had retired, with out a younger generation interested in taking over the business. The Shiny-Brite name had gone defunct and unused for decades. Because of my love for this American made tradition of ornaments, I decided to bring them back. The name was free and available, and I chose to use it in connection with a tribute collection of ornaments inspired by the same retro designs, with 40's style boxes. An interesting note is that mine were mouth blown glass, and entirely hand painted, not mass produced and machine made like the originals. Thanks again! Christopher Radko iRiverman@mac.com

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    1. Very cool to see you commenting here Mr. Christopher Radko! I have some of your ornaments and love them. Thanks for the additional info.

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    2. Awesome comments Mr. Radko! Love these ornaments as well as the ones that you and your company have introduced over the years.. they all have very special means. Thanks for adding to this story!
      Robbin

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    3. I still have some in the original box that belonged to my Swiss grandmother. There was a Shiny Brite facility in North Bergen, NJ about 4 miles from our home. You could go in and select your own assortment of 12 ornaments and they gave you one of the boxes to fill with your selection.

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  26. I did a post which included the various plants that produced Max Eckardt's Shiny-Brites at:
    https://yorkblog.com/yorkspast/shiny-brite-christmas-ornaments-production/

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  27. To your knowledge did the shiny brite co. ever produce any santa dolls ? I came across a christmas santa doll in a shiny brite logo'd box no. 46-3120.

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  28. I just found 2 small boxes of 12 each. They are assorted pink and light blue small round ones with metal tops and a tag on the boxes saying Sears and Robuck and Co.and 29 cents. They were laying by the dumpsters where I live. Such a great little find! (Although one was broken)

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  29. Great Story Behind Vintage "Shiny Brite" Christmas Ornaments.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  30. I have always loved these since I was a little girl. I know they were on my grandmother's tree then later my mother's. Mom lost them somehow. I had probably 12 boxes of various "shiney Brite" ornaments until 3 years ago when they along with the rest of all my Christmas decorations were stolen. I haven't been able to find them anywhere near me to replace them. It just doesn't feel like Christmas to me without them on my tree. Those ornaments along with the "icicles", the tinsel, is what makes my Christmas tree feel magical, like Christmas for me. Thank you for the article.

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    1. Dingbatt1949@yahoo.comDecember 7, 2019 at 7:02 PM

      So sorry for your loss of these special items... I have many I would sell reasonably

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    2. Can you post pictures of them?

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  31. I have many Shiny Brites. They were my grandmothers past down to my mother and now me. Thankfully All my sisters did NOT want them old things on their trees. I just LOVE them !

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  32. I think most American families have at least one Shiny Brite in their ornaments box. I remember them from my childhood and that was a LONG time ago.

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  33. Thanks for sharing all this interesting info. I have always loved the shiny ornaments and it's very cool to learn how they came about.I still have from about 40 years ago and I have some Christopher Radko ornaments and some Polanaise. Love them all.

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  34. During WW II Made in USA at Corning Glass Wellsboro Tioga County PA factory ..

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  35. Very interesting history lesson! I have some old ornaments from my Mom. Will have to check them out now. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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  36. My family had some of these when I was very small. Fascinating article -- thanks for sharing with us!

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  37. I remember having family members who worked in the Emigsville, PA plant. Thanks for the article and the memories!

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  38. I had family members who worked at the Emigsville, PA plant. Thanks for the article and the memories!

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  39. I don’t remember these as a child but during the 1980’s frequently bought them at garage sales for$1 a dozen. Our tree is filled with them

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  40. I still have all my mother's and Grandmother's Shiny Brite ornaments...dating back from the 30's on up. They are as gorgeous as ever! My mom always kept them in sturdy boxes and always wrapped each one carefully in first wax paper then tisse paper and/or tissues. Just decorated my tree with them last week!

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  41. I have some of these also. Great childhood memories. I wonder how much they are worth today.

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  42. Thank you for this article. Invokes many memories for me as well. I have 5 from my childhood. So treasured by me. They hold a place of prominence on the tree every year.

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  43. $4.50 for box-you got a deal.
    3-4 years ago I found some singles in SA and GW. But I’ve paid $20+ for boxes. Here’s to your good fortune.

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  44. Thank you for this post Jaime. My parents had these when we were kids! Love the history!

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  45. I love these ornaments and have many I use every year. I now know why some have cardboard and yarn as hangers. God to know and able to tell the age of them

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  46. Great story ! Child of the 50's here. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

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  47. Still have my Grandmothers in the original box I use them every Christmas such great memories

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  48. I love the story! Thank you for sharing,we were just talking about them last night with a friend..we have several boxes that were handed down to me from my grandfather,they were given to him by his grandfather(my great grandfather) we even have a few Angels with real feathers(pink angels) great memories and now we share the memories with our kids,and thanks to you the story!♥️ At 54 yrs old you made my heart smile!

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  49. I just gave my daughter my parents Shiny Brite ornaments from the 50s. This article just made my Christmas season.

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  50. I have at least 16 boxes of "reproduction" (Christopher Radko) Shiny Brite ornaments. I have found them at stores in San Francisco and Palm Springs. They don't have the patina of the originals, but they're still beautiful, albeit more expensive.

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  51. Thank you! I treasure mine and loved learning the story.

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  52. My mother had a lot of these ornaments. We came over to USA when I was 6 and I had always thought my mother brought them from Germany.

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  53. Mine say Shiny Brite Made in the USA. Some say US of A. My mother said she bought them in 1949. Graet article. I will print in out and put in the box with them so my family will know the story.

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  54. If you purchased yours at a Value Village around Dec 1-5 2019, there was a story on the news about them being mistakenly sent for donation. Contact the store as the original owners will pay a premium for return of their heirlooms.

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  55. I had about 4 of these ornaments that were in the original cardboard box. My father purchased the box full from Woolworths probably in the late 30's or early 40's. I'm down to two right now. Thank you for the story of how they came to be.

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  56. We had these when I was a child. I have tried to find similar, especially these last few years. What treasured memories of my parents buying and decorating with these for years.

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  57. Fantastic story. One by one the ones I had from my parents broke. I hope to find them and buy them

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  58. I have over 400 of these! My tree glows! Thank you so much for the history of Shiny Brite. Mr. Radko, your ornaments were the reason I started collecting the vintage!

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  59. I always admired the "special" ornaments which we placed at the top of the tree, so the kids wouldn't play with them. I now have them in my collection and love them. The research for this story was so interesting and relevant since my niece is now collecting vintage ornaments. Thanks to all who have commented on this story and those who provided additional information. It makes my collection even more special!

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  60. I have quite a few of these and one is in the shape of a church. Do not have the original boxes though.

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  61. Still have many of these ornaments from both sides of the family. I am copying this article and will included it with the ornaments so my kids know what they are throwing out when we pass.

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  62. Great story, except for the chemistry. Silver nitrate is a white powder. The inside of the ornaments was metallic silver, created by the "silver mirror" reaction: a reduction of silver ions. See https://www.compoundchem.com/2017/09/06/silver-mirror/

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  63. I have an original box and many more ornaments that have lost their original packaging.

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  64. We have a handful of these left as they continue to slowly die of old age with glass breaking and paint fading. I would love to find more but these few are all I have left from my grandmother

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  65. I cherish the few I have left after having g kids...the beauty of them still takes mu breath and the fond memories of Christmas ' past still shines

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  66. I love the Shiny Brites! Wish I could find more of them!

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  67. Enjoyed this article. I think I have a couple of boxes bought at Sears Roebuck in 1969 for our first tree as a couple. Since we now travel to family miles away for Christmas,I do not put up a tree. But I still have them boxed in the basement. I will have to look to see if I do indeed
    have the Shiny Brites. Nice memories.

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  68. My brother was a doctor in the Army Medical Coop during WWII, stationed in the jungle of New Guinea. He wrote home that he wanted to have a Christmas tree in the hospital so the native helpers would know the meaning of Christmas. My parents immediately packed up our Shiney Brights, and mailed them to my brother. I was heartbroken to lose my childhood ornaments, but, received a lecture from my parents that I was making a small sacrifice while my brother was making a big one.

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  69. This puts me in a Christmas mood! I have several, and a full box in good shape. A proper year-round display is in order.

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  70. I have a few boxes of "shiny bright" ornaments that were my parents and on our tree every year when I was growing up. I gave a box to my niece but selfishly kept the others for myself. Love them and they remind me of simpler times.

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  71. My mom had maybe half a dozen when I was little and they were always my favorites. When I came home after being overseas for three years they were gone. No one seems to know where they went. I've spent the last 40 years keeping an eye out for some like them, but so far no luck.

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  72. Can anyone tell me why some boxs was stamped seconds on box look to be factory damaged ??

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  73. Hi there! I really liked your article. The history of companies and vintage items like this is really interesting. I was looking for information on Shiny-Brite angels, because I recently picked some up myself to replace ones we had growing up which had been too damaged to keep anymore.

    I also do a little blogging sometimes and wrote about my angels and referenced some information from this blogpost. I also included a link to your blog in case anyone finds my post and wants to read more of what you wrote. https://aggressivelyfancy.com/vintage/celebrating-kitschmas-with-1959-shiny-brite-chenille-angels-by-max-eckardt-sons/

    Thanks for sharing your information about these super cute ornaments! You got SUCH a great deal at that charity shop!

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  74. My husband recently found 3 sets of these ornaments in a dumpster. 8bdidmt know the history until I found this site. Thanks for sharing and I do remember my Nana having these glass balls on her tree. But now that I'm an adult I'm glad I know what they are and I'm actually using them on my tree this year. Still have the original boxes and they still have the tinsel in the boxes!!

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