The lonely Ornament

I've been on a vintage Christmas ornament collecting rampage ever since I did research for the Historic Society's German Christmas party.  I've hit nearly every antique mall and shop in the city in search of those ornaments of yesteryear. I've come across a plethora of Shiney Brites, a respectable amount of ornaments made in West Germany (obviously all made prior to 1989) as well as Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and a few from Columbia and Japan.

I do have a handful of my grandmother's ornaments. Most of them are Shiney Brites, but there are a few ornaments from Poland and West Germany. There are a few that I do not remember, but there are others that I vividly remember hanging on her Christmas Tree. This is one of those ornaments that I remember. It's an Austrian ornament and it's one of my favorites.

 

I had a very productive day at one antique mall. Not only did I find 2 rare West German ornaments, but a trio of Austrian ornaments that match my Grandma's ornament!

 

As you can imagine, I snatched this trio up in a heartbeat. They were a little more expensive than what I ordinarily pay (I usually don't pay more than $3 for an ornament) but that lonely silver ornament was now part of set. Compared to my tarnished silver piece these ornaments were well cared for, and I could see they were all painted by hand.

I really loved my Grandma and whenever I go into these antique shops, I always look for something similar to what she had, whether it be an orange juice glass, the Secretary Desk or some knickknack. I'm always rewarded in finding at least one object and when I do, I usually stand in front of it, or hold it in my hands (depending on the size) and reminisce of those days long past. Once in awhile, the object can be purchased and I've probably bought half a dozen things over the years. I didn't expect to find a set of ornaments (that weren't Shiney Brites, because she had lots of those) that could be connected to her silver ornament.

Thanks Grandma for the find. I hope you can see how your Silver Ornament is now part of a set.