Starting Your Collection

Do you have a collection or are you thinking about collecting? There are several fun, enjoyable and rewarding ways to collect antique glass salt shakers.  Our members have enjoyed collecting in several different ways.

Some examples are:

• Collect shakers that appeal to the collector by design or color. Since our club has “adopted” sugar shakers, we are also developing a section on selected sugar shakers. For now, please click below to go to a gallery of photos of sugar shakers our members collect.
• Collect pattern glass shakers – i.e. shakers that are part of a larger pattern.
• Collect shakers that are patented, e.g. patterns with agitators that were made to break up the salt, a major problem during the era. Please click below to go to an article on “Salt Shakers That Do Something.”
• Collect pairs, e.g. matching decoration. You will see many examples of matching salt shakers in many of our articles on this website. Matching pairs are often used as the featured shakers in more recent conventions, including the 2012 Convention planned for New Bedford, MA July 26-29, 2012.
• One member used to try to find every shaker that was in Alfred Peterson’s book, the first comprehensive book on shakers. A daunting task, to say the least!
• Collect the U S Glass Company States Shakers. Click below to go to an illustrated article on U S Glass Company States Shakers.
• Collect shakers that were made by one or more specific manufacturer. Choose “Consolidated and Dithridge Shakers” in the list at the bottom of the page to view an example of a collection built around two manufacturers.

The list can go on and on, with so many options to build an attractive collection. Of course, a major advantage to the collection of salt shakers, and even sugar shakers, is that they take so little room to display. Now please take a moment to examine some of our examples (listed below) of “how members collect” with the above suggestions as a guide. Of course, many of us just collect whatever suits our fancy, so be sure to enjoy the eclectic grouping under “Shakers Members Collect.” Return to this page often so you can enjoy all the ways you can channel your collecting.