It was a Christmas gift from her step-mother that sent Susan Schneider on the Radko trail, just an innocent Rosie O'Hare that started it all. Now seven years and 500 ornaments later, Schneider is still looking for great pieces at reasonable prices.
"I enjoy collecting, but I really like getting a deal. I try hard not to get caught up in the bidding or bid on things are outrageous in price."
When did you start collecting ornaments?
I started after receiving the Christmas present from my step-mother. I would say that although I get some ornaments locally, most come from eBay. I usually don't pay retail price! I've bought a ton on eBay since I started shopping there in 1998.
The majority of my ornaments are Radko. I do have others, including a five or six Patricia Breen pieces.
I love shopping on eBay because I can shop at night when my little daughter is in bed. It doesn't take time away from her.
Do you collect anything else?
I love china, crystal and sterling silver. I've collected sterling silver since I was seven years old!
My first piece was from my great-grandmother continuing a family tradition of giving a sterling silver piece
each year.
How is your collection displayed?
We live in a wonderful old house from around 1880 and put up four or five large, live trees. We also put up a few smaller trees around the house.
One tree consists of Waterford Crystal and Sterling Silver ornaments.
We do a Victorian tree in pinks and deep reds, an all gold tree, a traditional tree and an all Radko
tree.
I've thought about getting an artificial tree, it would be much easier.
When a live tree starts to droop a bit the ornaments can fall off, so I hand tie each with ribbon
on the tree.
What do you consider your most valuable items?
Probably the most valuable ornaments I have are the Twelve Days of Christmas from Radko.
What have been your most sought after ornaments?
It was probably the early Twelve Days of Christmas, I wasn't collecting
when they first came out, so I wanted to find them. I've also done a fruit tree and have had a hard time
finding fruit ornaments, although I have bought between thirty and forty ornaments just in the last six months.
Do you ever sell Christmas ornaments?
I've never sold any, I buy them for myself and the plan is for my
daughter to eventually have them. I also like to give ornaments to family members, we always
have some Radko ornament unwrapped at Christmas time. It's a fun hobby!
What are your favorites?
I love the fruit ornaments, they make the prettiest tree. The ornaments are displayed on a feather
tree and that now stays up all year long in the dining room.
Do you catalog your collection?
I keep a list of all the ornaments, along with what I paid for them. We have a whole closet
dedicated to the ornaments. Each is packed individually in their original boxes, with the original tags
and bubble wrapped.
Packing and unpacking them takes hours!
Do you have any advice for new collectors?
I definitely encourage new collectors. The one thing when collecting is to have a sense of why
you are collecting. Are you collecting as an investment or for yourself?
Be real clear in your mind why you are collecting.
I collect for my pleasure not for investment, why have the stuff if you're not going to use and enjoy it?
Always be careful about overpaying -- eBay is great for bargains. I highly recommend using eBay, I've had great experiences, met a lot of people and in all my transactions have not had a single bad experience.
Well, there was the time I bought a set of Sugar Hill ornaments that never arrived -- until I spotted the box sitting on a shelf in my local post office!
And nothing has ever even arrived broken!
