| Antique and Art Glass |
| Salt Shaker Collector's Society |
| ACTIVITIES |
| The Society began
publishing a newsletter in March 1983 and has continued the quarterly publication
ever since. The publication features articles written by the
members, and contains the latest updates on the identification project
discussed below.
Articles include experiences of members, thoughts on the conventions, surfacing of hidden previously unpublished data on shakers, and frequent articles devoted to the results of research by its members. Click on the picture of the Pioneer shaker on the home page to read about the Society's signature shaker. |
| A convention is
held annually at locations throughout the country. The locations where
they have been held are shown in the History Section.
Although they are normally held in the East or Midwest near the highest concentration of members, they have been held as far west as California. Many members look forward to the convention every year and schedule their vacations around that date. The convention highlight is always the opportunity to share conversations with other members who are similarly affected by the "collecting bug". Of course, some just go to the convention to find shakers since the membership is always looking for new finds and frequently have duplicates for sale. Normally, at least two prominent, nationally known speakers from throughout the country are selected to speak. Everyone always learns something new from these talks. A special shaker is made each year to commemorate the annual convention. The shaker is available to members at the convention for a nominal cost to cover manufacturing expenses. Another
highlight of the convention is the annual shaker auction. Here is
an opportunity to sell shaker duplicates or to purchase that special shaker
that another member has up for auction.
There is of course, the semiannual board meeting, the business meeting and the associated formalities. A couple of hours are devoted each year to the Identification Project. Here the members see the shakers that others have submitted as unknowns and vote on the names recommended by the Identification Committee. For more information on the Identification Project see that discussion. The highlight for some members is the "room hopping" to buy shakers from dealer members or duplicates from other members. The convention wraps up with a show and sale open to the public. Many members also provide a display of shakers following a particular selected theme. Awards are given for, the best display following the theme, best display using under twenty shakers, and the "Best of Show". Categories vary and are typically selected by the convention sponsor. |
| The Identification
Project has been a key activity of the club. Many members have beautiful
shakers that have not been pictured in the literature. In order to
give those shakers a "pedigree", the Society took on the challenge of establishing
an "Identification Project". The members submit an "unknown" shaker
to the "Identification Project Committee" for review. The committee
researches the shaker to see if it can be found in any published literature,
including old catalogs and etc. All information found on the shaker
is then published in the "Pioneer" for review and for further research
by members. All data are then sorted by the committee and the shaker,
with color slide, is reviewed by the membership at the annual convention.
If appropriate, a name is assigned. Names are recommended by the
ID committee after research is done to ensure the name has not previously
used. (Don't you wish all authors had taken the time to perform that
research before publishing "their name")
To date, the Society's project has reviewed nearly 800 shakers and assigned names to a majority of them. It has been a very successful endeavor. Two color pages are included in the newsletter showing the latest unknown submissions. The Lechner's second book published
some of these using the Society's assigned names in most cases. Additional
shakers from the Identification project were also pictured in their third
book. Many shakers now have a name and a picture that can be used
by buyers, sellers, and collectors. |
| Mini Conventions |
| In addition to the annual convention, some members hold Mini Conventions in their local area. At these, the members enjoy many of the social aspects of the annual convention. This is further testimony to the outstanding fellowship and friendships that had been developed within the Society. |
|
List of Salt Shaker Books to Study Salt Shakers |