Clara Johnson Scroggins facts for kids

Clara Johnson Scroggins was a famous collector and author who knew a lot about Christmas ornaments. Many people considered her an expert in this field. She also worked as a fashion model and broadcast journalist.

The Story of Clara Johnson Scroggins

How Her Collection Began

Clara Johnson Scroggins started collecting Christmas ornaments in 1972. She began this hobby after her husband passed away suddenly, just before Christmas. She said she "needed something to really consume me, to help me."

One day, she bought a silver Christmas cross ornament from a jewelry store. It was a "second edition," meaning it wasn't the very first one made. Clara then became curious about finding the "first edition" of that ornament. This search sparked her interest in collecting.

Growing Her Collection

By the next year, Clara had already collected almost 1,000 silver and silver-plated ornaments. She met with special dealers and other collectors to learn about the value and history of different ornaments. She eventually became an expert herself.

Her collection grew incredibly large, reaching 40,000 Christmas ornaments at one point! By 1994, she had an amazing 250,000 pieces. These ornaments came from many different companies, like Hallmark Cards, American Greetings, Cartier, and Tiffany. They were made from various materials, including glass, porcelain, pewter, and crystal. Many of her special ornaments came from Europe, especially Germany.

Clara as an Author and Expert

Clara Johnson Scroggins wrote many books about collecting Christmas ornaments. Her books shared information about their history and how much they were worth. She mostly focused on ornaments made by Hallmark Cards because they were very popular at the time.

She also wrote a special column about ornaments for a magazine called Collector's Mart. This showed how much she knew and how respected she was in the collecting world.

Hallmark Ornaments and Their Popularity

In 1973, Hallmark Cards started making their own Christmas ornaments. Their first collection had 18 different ornaments, including six glass balls. Hallmark's "Keepsake Ornaments" are special because they are dated and only sold for one year. This makes them unique and fun to collect.

By 1996, the Christmas ornament industry was very big, making $2.4 billion in sales! Experts believed that over 22 million homes in the United States collected Christmas ornaments. About 75% of these homes collected Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments.

By 1998, 11 million American families collected Hallmark ornaments. Also, 250,000 people were part of the "Keepsake Ornament Collector's Club." There were even about 400 local clubs across the U.S. where collectors could meet and share their passion.

Influencing Change

Clara Johnson Scroggins played an important role in convincing Hallmark Cards to create ornaments that featured African American themes. Because of her efforts, Hallmark introduced its first Black Christmas ornament, called "Cheerful Santa," in 1992. This was a big step in making sure everyone felt included in the joy of Christmas collecting.