A quick note on Shiny Brites...

[Jay2TheRescue]

I know with the Christmas season coming up I just wanted to pass this along.  I stopped by my Mother's house yesterday for a visit, and noticed some Shiny Brites on her tree.  I inquired as to whose they were...  Were they Grandma's, or my Great Aunt's?  No.  She bought them a year or 2 ago at Belk's (A southern department store).  She showed me the box, and I'd swear the box design is exactly the same as the ones from the 50's.  I just wanted to pass this on.  I don't know if there is a way to tell the difference between the newer and older ones.

-Jay

[valleythriftshopper]

Christopher Radko has the rights to the Shiny Brite trademark now, just like Noma exists today only as a licensed name.  I can tell my shiny brites are old because of the patina, although fortunately many of the ones I have found came in the origianl box.  Did you notice what markings they had on them?  I wonder if Radko produces these in the US.

[valleythriftshopper]

I was looking at the radko shiny brites on Ebay & the boxes look like the old ones, but they do say "Christopher Radko presents" on them so I guess that is something to look for.  They seem to sell well though, so I would still grab a box of the new ones if I saw them at a thrift.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I don't know about the Shiny Brites, but I do have other Christopher Radko ornaments in my collection (StormTrooper, C3P0, Darth Vader, ETC) and those were all made in eastern Europe.

-Jay

Christopher Radko has the rights to the Shiny Brite trademark now, just like Noma exists today only as a licensed name.  I can tell my shiny brites are old because of the patina, although fortunately many of the ones I have found came in the origianl box.  Did you notice what markings they had on them?  I wonder if Radko produces these in the US.

[superiorgirl]

I do have a few of the new, along with a collection of the old. It's like many other things that are being repro'd now - if you know what the old ones look like, you can normally tell when you see new ones. There is a different patina to the old that can't quite be mass produced. If you're buying them in person it's not a problem, but to buy them online I'd be careful.

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

It's good information to have, certainly. It's true the patina can be a giveaway on age. Honestly, though, if I came across new ShinyBrites in the thrift but done in the old styles, and at a good price? I wouldn't care if they weren't old. I like the colors and the look of them. New and old are welcome to me.