Collecting is one of my passions and toothpick holders as you can see is one of them. When my husband and I got married and were on the look out for antiques, I wanted something special that I could collect. It was toothpick holders, glass, usually over 100 years old and very beautiful in their own right. My mother had a small collection of colorful glass ones that she showcases in her kitchen window and that's what gave me the idea. They are small, just as ornate as bigger pieces of early american pressed glass and wonderful examples of what was created at the turn of the century. In the photo collage above, there is one that is not glass and it is a metal woodpecker. I really wanted this one because my grandfather had one that he used daily. Other than that a couple of Frankoma pottery and a couple of German porcelian ones, they are all glass.
My collection has grown to about 177 that I'm not willing to part with. Duplicates get put away to be sold or are already at the antique mall in our booth. Even this large a collection, no matter how small the items, they still take up a 3 shelf cabinet and a 4 shelf cabinet in our dining room and another shelf in the curio cabinet in the living room. As you can see in the photos below, they are sometimes 2 and 3 deep so it is hard to see them all.
If you are going to start a collection, please do your research and get books to help you determine the worth of the items and to help you keep track of those you have, those you want or those you need. I still have some little gems on my list that I'm not not willing to pay the $200 price tag for, so I settle for my little inexpensive ones and can collect more.
