Collectors Are Drawn to Splendor in the Glass

Shelly Clark of Newport Beach loves Christopher Radko’s ornaments. And her husband, David, knows it. That’s why he secretly bid on a Christmas tree brimming with 500 of the colorful glass ornaments that was being auctioned off at the Junior League of Orange County’s gift show in October.

Once David learned he was the highest bidder, he told Shelly. Now she’s busy unpacking 11 large boxes of ornaments and placing them on the tree, which she’s setting up in the Newport Beach home of Betty Clark, David’s mother. “We’ll be having parties and a big family event at my mother-in-law’s house, and the tree will be admired by lots of people,” says Shelly.

Here’s her story:

“I was the decoration chairman for the Junior League’s four-day Christmas Company, and I was excited to see that Roger’s Gardens and the Radko Co. donated this beautiful tree because I knew it would look spectacular at the entrance of the gift show. I never knew I would be taking it home.

“I have been collecting Radko ornaments for years, buying a few every season. I like their vintage look. Since they’re collectibles, I hope that our two boys, Andrew, 10, and Brooks, 8, will someday carry on the tradition. My older son appreciates how fragile the ornaments are and how much work goes into making them.

“The night of the silent auction, my husband bid on the tree without me knowing about it. We were the highest bidder, but I’d rather not say how much we spent. I have heard that with the 500 ornaments it’s valued at around $20,000.

“I’m installing the tree at my mother-in-law’s house because that’s where our celebrations will be and because our house doesn’t have ceilings for a 10-foot-tall tree. I think my husband was thinking of the ornaments and not the tree when he was bidding. We’re designing a new house now, and, hopefully, the tree will be in our new house next year.

“I could easily decorate three 8-foot-tall trees with all these ornaments.

“Most of the ornaments are of Santa doing something. He’s wearing different clothes and holding different things. My younger son’s favorites are the vintage cars painted red, black and blue. My older son’s favorite is a large candy cane that’s twisted with a bow. Some are from Italy and some collectors highly prize the Italian ones. The majority were made in Poland and one in Czechoslovakia. Some have names, while others don’t.

“As I’m unpacking the boxes, I was reading the tags on them, and several are designs that benefit charities, such as AIDS organizations. So the Junior League, which raises funds to reduce the risks of child abuse and teen pregnancy, isn’t the only beneficiary of this donation.”