Page 4 - Holiday Shopping Guide 23

From
Where Christm
Yuletide

Yankees

uletide Yankees is a group of Collectors,
Dealers, and Fans of Antique Holiday decor
Yand more. This Enterprise presents two shows
in Central Massachusetts each year filled with knowledgeable
members sharing their collections for sale. Learn more Here!

Spun Cotton Santas & More
Cotton ornaments have their origins
in 19th century Germany. Originally,
shapes would have been made from cotton
batting that was hand-molded around
wire forms. Later, they would be made
on a lathe with molds to form tightly
spun shapes. These type of ornaments
were originally used to decorate goose
feather Christmas trees made in Germany
in the mid-1800s due to deforestation.
Antique spun cotton Santas and other
ornaments are very delicate and pull the
viewer into a magical world.

The Matchless Wonder Star
As described in his 1935 patent application, Paul Dittman of Chicago called his newest
creation “an ornamental device embodying a multiplicity of prismatic light diffusing bodies
with a light source.” After immigrating to the U.S. from Germany, Dittman worked for
George Westinghouse and was involved in the manufacturing of electric light bulbs. He and
his partners started the Matchless Electric Company in 1912. The Matchless Star was first
made with glass and it was not until after World War II that the
company started making the larger stars out of Lucite. The cat-
alog page is from the late 1930s.
Prices for the stars were between 18 and 20 cents each for the
100 series, making them rather expensive for most people to own.
The company then started to sell them individually and people
would add to their collection when they could. Today, you can
expect to pay $45-$175 depending on size, color, and condition.

4 Holiday Shopping Guide Journal of Antiques and Collectibles