| The Treasure
of Japanese Glass Floats Along West Coast Waters
One of the most sought treasures along the west coast waters are
glass floats. Discovering a rare color, a different shape or one
perfectly intact excites many a beachcomber or treasure hunter.
Seaweed, driftwood, seashells and even agates are a dime a dozen
when compared to finding a glass float.
Glass floats were used by the Norwegians as far back as 1840. They
began by using fishing floats that were the size of an egg, tied
to their fishing lines. Glass was used because it was economical
and could be found in abundance. The buoyancy also was an attractive
draw as the use of nets became much more popular. The use of these
floats soon swept across Europe and many fisherman began placing
their trademarks on them to identity the owner or the manufacturer.
About 20% of the round floats out there have these markings, while
the percentage of rolling pin-shaped floats is much lower. Today,
a trademarked glass float can be worth hundreds of dollars to avid
collectors.
It was around 1910 that Japan began using and producing them, hence
the most popularly-known name, Japanese Glass Floats. Along the
typical round float, the Japanese experimented with different sizes
and shapes to accommodate different fishing styles. Most all of
those floats were green in color, since the glass used to make them
were usually recycled wine bottles. Clear, amber, aquamarine, amethyst,
blue were also produced. The rarest color is red or a cranberry
hue, since gold was used, making them more expensive to produce.
If you come across one of those, you'll want to hold onto that as
if your life depended on it. From the 1920's thru the 30's, the
colors of emerald green, cobalt blue, purple, yellow and orange
also popped up.
Later in the 19th century, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, and Scotland
began the manufacturing of glass floats, followed by England, France,
Germany, Russia and the United States in the 1940's. A few other
materials were tried and used, such as cork, plastic and wood, but
glass remained the favorite.
The one bad thing for the fishermen is that the glass floats had
a nasty habit of escaping their nets and floating out to sea, as
rotting ropes or storms took them away. Bad for them, good for us.
;)
The floats initially had nets surrounding them. The ones that escaped
the fishermen, usually lost those nets somewhere along their journeys.
It's fairly normally to find the glass floats, nets intact, along
the Japan coastline. Finding one in the Pacific Northwest waters
with the net is a rarity.
Shapes of glass floats go from the most-common round, to rolling
pin-shaped (the pin-shaped are crimped at the ends to make them
easier to secure to the nets), binary floats (two spheres fused
together), to cylinders. There are a few odd shapes mixed in there
such as donut shaped, as well.
The typical round floats range from 2.2" to 15" in diameter
(7-48" circumference). Anything outside of that size range
is rare. The rolling pin floats most common size is approximately
4.5" and 5.5" in length. The rarer ones may be found up
to 18" in length.
Experts believe that 40% of the floats lost by fishermen are out
there, drifting in the ocean waters. It takes approximately 4 years
for those floats to cross the Pacific, but over the many years in
existence, that leave millions out there, somewhere in the world's
ocean waters. Most of those glass floats are said to be traveling
in a particular current, known as the Koroshio Current. This current
sweeps around in a figure-8 pattern, from Japan across the Pacific
Ocean to Alaska and then down the West Coast from the Aleutian Islands,
passing Mexico, turning east, past the islands of Hawaii and then
back toward Japan.
When the weather and tide is right, the Japanese glass floats will
be washed to shore. During storms, they are often found further
inland on the beaches and, sometimes, they are dashed against the
rocks. A sad sight to see.
Sometime in the 1950's, Japanese Glass Float collecting hit an
all-time high in popularity. As a result of the decline in commercial
fishing and the advent of plastics, this made the glass fishing
floats highly sought after because of their rarity. Being an attentive
beachcomber has it's advantages.
Today, you'll find glass float replicas sold in many gift shops.
The real treasure, though, is finding you own authentic ones to
place on display in your home or business. Keep your eyes peeled.
Tony Thomas is the author and designer of http://www.romantic-oregon-coast.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Thomas
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