Featured Victorian Shakers and Condiment Sets

The most interesting aspect about collecting Victorian Art Glass shakers and condiment sets is that you can collect just about all types of Victorian Art Glass and display it in a small area.

These types of items include salt, pepper, sugar shakers as well as mustard jars, small cruet bottles, and toothpick holders. If you are lucky enough you may run across a silverplate holder of the period that will hold the pieces! The holders can be very ornate and really enhance the shakers in which they hold. As mentioned above, these items come in all sorts of art glass. This includes cased glass, decorated opalware as well as many other forms of enameled glass. Others include Amberina, Burmese, Peachblow, Findlay Onyx, Opalescent, Chocolate glass and so many others.
Some of the manufacturers that made these items are Mt Washington, New England Glass, Consolidated Glass, Hobbs Brockunier, Challinor Taylor, Northwood, and so many others of the period.


Many Victorian era shakers have either a two piece or a one piece top. Two piece tops contain a collar that is cemented to the shaker using plaster. This collar contains the threads that the top screws on to. The glass itself does not contain any threads. The second is a one piece top in which the glass itself contains molded threads and the top screws on like modern day tops. On most shakers that have a one piece top you will notice a very thin rough top edge. This rough chipped edge is a tell tale sign the shaker is an old one but not in all cases. Many pieces do have a ground top and to tell the old ones from the new is experience in handling different pieces.Of course, this top edge is hidden once the top is screwed on.
There are some reproductions out there; most will have a ground or smooth top edge and may be a heavier glass. As mentioned above, not all old shakers have rough chipped edges and experience will give you the skills to spot them.
When buying a Victorian era shaker, should it not have a top, do not let this discourage you. Unless it’s a shaker with a very specific top that is part of the identity of the shaker, you can always find a top you can use on it. Most shaker collectors have a box of old tops just for this reason.
Every shaker and mustard had a top of some sort. These tops were made of many types of materials. Typically brass, nickel, pewter, and silver were used. The tops can come plain and embossed with designs and flowers. These specialty tops were reserved for certain shakers made by Mt Washington and Wavecrest to name a couple. Mt Washington made some shakers in the forms of Tomatoes, Eggs, and Figs. These shakers had specialty tops that were made just for the shaker they are on. They are part of the form of the object they represent.
Mustard jars are a natural to go along with shakers. They come in all the same patterns and glass types. Actually, mustards are harder to find inmost cases.Remember, in most cases there was only one mustard for every two shakers made!
Some of my favorite pieces are odd color or nonproduction colors, slag glass shakers as well as old carnival glass shakers which are very rare to find. Enameled shakers can be miniature works of art representing flowers, designs, Mary Gregory type figures, and even flying insects like butterflies. Also figural shakers can be most interesting and many hard to come by. They can represent Owls, Chickens, and People to name a few.
Shakers come in all price ranges so it’s a collectible that just about everyone can enjoy. There are many very nice pretty shakers that can be bought for under 50.00. At the other end of the spectrum, high end collectors can spend several thousand dollars for some very rare unique pieces. Most of the better pieces fall between 75.00 and 300.00 each in my opinion.
Collecting shakers can be a disease like any other type of collecting and even though they are small they do have a habit of multiplying quickly and soon you become surrounded! They can be a bit of a challenge to display properly to get the real impact of a large grouping. I use old general store display cabinets and narrow wall cabinets. The narrow wall cabinets work the best.
As you can see I’ve pictured several different cabinets in which I display my shakers. This may not be the best way; many shakers tend to get lost towards the rear of the cabinet. The wall cabinet is not very deep and shows off the shakers the best. You may have to get such a cabinet custom made though.


Shaker collecting is very big for many people. They can become very expensive for the more desirable forms of art glass. They are very difficult to come across in antique shops anymore. The major marketplace for these items like so many other antiques and collectibles is Ebay and high end glass shows. It can get very competitive for the better items.

Like so many other collectibles, there is a club that unites so many collectors from around the USA and Canada. I would love to hear from others in different countries that may collect these popular collectibles.
There is a club website "Antique Glass Salt and Sugar Shaker Club" that you can visit on the internet at http://www.antiquesaltshakers.com as well as books on the subject. They produce a quarterly newsletter, and have an ongoing shaker ID project as well as an annual convention. If you are looking for a great collecting subject, look into the world of Victorian Art Glass shakers and condiment sets.

Should you have any questions concerning collecting Victorian Art Glass shakers and condiment sets please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be more than happy to answer any questions and help you get started in this fascinating collecting subject.
I am a collector of and not a glass researcher and my opinions and comments are from my collecting experiences over the years.
I live in Northwestern NJ and have been collecting shakers and condiment sets since 1995. Before that I collected carnival glass and still have an interest in it.
We also collect all sorts of items from the Victorian era through the 1930s.
We travel around the country when we can, go to local shows, and buy on Ebay to find much of what we collect.

If you have an interest in beginning to collect shakers please do not hesitate contacting me. I would be glad talking to anyone who may have questions or needing advice in how to start collecting.
You may contact me by email antiques_in_nj@yahoo.com

 

I would be happy to post pictures but it keeps saying the files are too large.


Scott

 

OK, this one took

 

Here are a pair of Bohemian shakers called "Fish Pond"

 

Hi Scott,
Thanks for the hints. If the photos are too large put them as "thump nails" when they are clicked on they will enlarge.
greg

 

Thanks, Im kind of figuring it out as I go along here

 

I will post more a bit later.
This is a most unusual set in decorated custard called "Hexaglory".

 

This is an extremely rare Mt Washington Puzzle shaker with Palmer Cox Brownies

 

This whole thread is so delightful!

Thank you so much for sharing.

 

Wonderful, Scott, a fantastic collection!

 

Thanks so much, will post more later.

 

Very interesting information -- about the photos, I've found that resizing them first usually does the trick. I don't know the preferred size. The thumbnails seem to work well, too.

 

I resize to no more than 800 pixels per side and that usually works.

Fabulous collection. I'm immensely jealous! However, I don't need any more glass. Or ceramics. Or pottery. LOL

 

Love the "fish pond" ones! Very cool!

 

Thank-you for sharing your knowledge Scott, very informative!
I do love all the shakers, but I'm with Kent, the bohemian pair are fabulous!
Mary

 

Thanks for the thread. Very informative.

 

Thanks so much everyone. I will post a few more tonight. I have lots of singles as well as pairs in silverplate holders.
Here is a quick one which are Fostoria's Rose, Pink shakers

 

Thanks, the shakers decorated with Brownies are rare and the Puzzle shakers are very rare!

 

Shakers decorated with Mary Gregory style decorations are always popular.