Fishing Net Float Collection
Somewhere along the way I have accidently started a collection of glass fishing net floats. I had wanted to get "one" for quite a while. In the summer of 2002 I went to a large antique sale with my sister and came home with three of them. Since then, she has bought me two more at a yard sale and I purchased purple and cobalt reproduction floats on eBay for a few dollars. I came home with two more from the Perth 2003 insulator show adding to my modest collection of net floats. At an antique mall in Barrie in July, 2004, I added 3 more small floats to the collection. In the summer of 2005, I picked up a small cobalt blue one at an antique market. In 2006, I have found a number of small "curio" type floats at yards sales. My sister got me the 10" green one at a yard sale for $1. In July, 2006, I purchased two clear ones from the east coast of Canada, and a rolling pin type float (my first of these) through eBay. I've added some more to the collection from an auction in 2007. My total is now up to around 40 glass floats of all types. Ah well, more pretty glass to put on the shelf.
Float Categories
Collectors divide glass net floats into three categories:
- Authentic Glass Floats:
- Floats that were manufactured and used for fishing. They are made with heavy glass and usually show some wear from the surf and sand. Some have trademark symbols embossed. They were produced from 1910. Some countries, notably China and Japan, are still producing glass floats. Japanese glass fishing floats were hand made by a glassblower, using recycled glass from old window panes, water jugs, whiskey, sake and milk bottles. The floats were blown with a blowpipe, removed from the blowpipe, sealed with a button of melted glass and placed in a cooling oven. Some glass fishing floats were blown into a two-piece mold or a three piece mold to speed up the float making process. Seams on the outside of floats are a result of this process. Sometimes whittled or dappled markings where the wooden molds were carved are also visible on the surface of the glass. The Japanese experimented with many different sizes and shapes of floats, ranging from 1½ to 18 inches in diameter. Most were spheres, but some were cylindrical or "rolling pin" shaped. Most floats are shades of green, the color of recycled bottles. Some clear, amber, aquamarine, amethyst, blue, cranberry, purple, yellow and orange ones were made in the 1920s and 30s.
- Contemporary Glass Floats:
- Floats that are made by the same glass factories that made authentic fishing floats. These floats are made with heavy glass, have no signs of wear and were never used for fishing. They usually come in brilliant, beautiful colors. They may also have embossed symbols or marks. They were produced from 1940 - 1960.
- Curio Glass Floats:
- Floats that are made of thin, light-weight glass. They come in a variety of bright colors. They have been produced since 1960 for coastal gift shops. These are intended for decorative purposes only.
Terms and Definitions
Here are some other usefull terms and definitions to know when looking at or describing floats.
- Seal Button:
- A blob ('button') of melted glass placed over the hole left when the blow pipe is removed.
- Pontil:
- A solid steel rod. No pontil (or punty) was used in the process of blowing glass floats.
- Nubbin:
- The bubble inside the seal button.
- Ratller:
- Float with nubbin bubble broken off inside the ball.
- Frosted:
- Etching of the surf and sand on the surface of the float, sandblasted surface.
- Spindle:
- A thin thread of glass suspended inside the float going from the top to bottom or side to side. It does not touch the sides. DOUBLE BALL: a hollow sphere within the primary ball. The inner ball is larger that the regular nubbin bubble and ranges in size from 1/2" to 3".
- Diameter:
- The width of the float measured at the widest point. It can be difficult to measure this without large calipers of some type. Diameter can be found by dividing the circumference measurement by 3.14.
- Circumference:
- Due to the difficulty of measuring the diameter of a float accurately, the size is often stated by giving the circumference (distance around) the entire float. It is the actual measurement around the width of the float.
- Mesh, Net, or Netting:
- The mesh net that is woven or tied around the float to enable it to be attached to the actual fishing net. It can be made of a variety of ropes, or fibres. Many glass floats show wear patterns from rolling in the sand and surf. When the netting disintegrates a net pattern image remains with clear glass in the places the float was protected by the net.
- Water Inside:
- Ocassionally a float will be found with water inside, but with no apparent holes or cracks. This occurs when floats are suspended in arctic ice or held under water by nets. Water pressure on the glass surface forces entry into the floats through microscopic imperfections in the glass. I have one that is about 20-25% full of what I assume is sea water.
- Rollers:
- A cylindrical or rolling pin shaped float, often with a button or nubbin at each end for attaching it to a net. Sizes for rollers are simply given as the overall length. They range in size from 4" up to 21". The 4 - 6" ones are the most common size.
- Embossing:
- Any mark or markings that appear on the glass, usually as raised letters, numbers or symbols. Marks may also be pressed into the glass immediately after blowing. I only have two floats so far with any embossing on them.
- Embossing Locations:
- The embossing may appear in various places on a float. It is possible for a single float to have embossing in more than one location. Here is a list of the common locations:
- TOG:
- Top of Glass - marking on top of glass opposite the sealing button
- SOG:
- Side of Glass - marking on the side of the glass
- BOG:
- Bottom of Glass - marking on the flat bottom of a float
- SB:
- Seal Button - marking on the seal button itself
- Float Sizes:
- 1 - 1½" - golf ball size
- 2 - 3½" - baseball size
- 4 - 6" - grapefruit size
- 7 - 9" - soccer ball size
- 10 - 12" - basketball size
- 13 - 16" - beach ball size
- 17" plus - marker floats
Photo Gallery
Click on the thumbnails below to bring up larger versions of the pictures. The ruler is included in most of the single float pictures to show the size in inches. If you hover your mouse over the pictures, the popup description will usually give the size as well.
Curio |
Curio |
Curio |
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Curio |
Curio |
Curio |
Curio |
Curio |
Contemporary |
Contemporary |
Contemporary |
Authentic |
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Curio |
Curio |
Authentic
Embossed - SB 11cm |
Authentic |
Curio |
Authentic |
Authentic |
Authentic
Water Inside |
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Cork Ring Floats |
Authentic |
Authentic
Embossed |
Embossed
PAT NO 2413399 NW |
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Authentic |
Authentic |
Pair of Jumbo Floats |
Big and Small |
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Authentic
Rolling Pin Type |
Faint Marking |
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Reference Books
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For Christmas 2005, I received a Collector's Price Guide and Identification Handbook called "Glass Fishing Floats of the World", 2nd Edition. It seems to be an extremely helpful book. Click on the picture of the book, to jump to the author's website |
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Another book, by Walt Pich, has been published dealing primarily with fishing net floats made in Japan. It has information to assist beachcombers and glass ball collectors in identifying Oriental glass fishing floats. Included with the text are 335 photos and illustrations identifying origin and history. In addition, 253 marks are identified and explained.
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