NASGA Shard of the Year, a collectors dream come true

October 23, 2014July 25, 2022 nasgawebsiteLeave a comment

Each year during the North American Sea Glass Festival, the Shard of the Year (“SOTY”) contest, is held in memory of Joanne Schrieber, founder of the 2004 North East Sea Glass Festival. Private collectors are given an opportunity to show off some of their special pieces. The 2014 contest showcased nearly 800 entries, and was truly an amazing display of treasured finds.

All shards of genuine sea glass from around the world are eligible for entry into the Shard of the Year contest, not just shards from “North America”. Every beachcomber treasure found has a little bit of history within it, but during the Shard of the Year contest, it’s a time to showcase the rare finds.

2014 Shard of the Year Contest – Photo Gallery Credit: Gary de Blois

President Richard LaMotte offers expert guidance during judging along side judge, Lisa Hall.

Christeena Hockin-Minopetros shows off the red piece that would eventually win the Shard of the Year grand prize, as Richard LaMotte and Rex Nockengust look on.

Careful examination during the judging for the Shard of the Year 2014 judging.

Over 700 entries for the 2014 Shard of the Year contest .

The entries were amazing and made judging a hard task.

The judges discussing potential winners.

It is a beauty contest, where the most unusual pristine piece is awarded the grand prize, $1,000 dollars, and is named winner of the Overall Beauty category, and bragging rights to it’s owner for years to come!

Grand Prize winner, Lou Marcotte, with NASGA President Richard LaMotte

The 2014 Shard of the Year grand prize winner, Lou Marcotte, submitted a beautiful red piece found in the Dominican Republic.

Overall Winner-Marcotte shard — Photo Credit: Gary de Blois

The piece was from a glass candlestick, made by Westmoreland Glass Company sometime in the late 1940’s, early 1950’s. The pattern of this particular candlestick is Doric, and as shown in the photo below, the original was a beauty as well.

The remaining categories were runner-up, pottery/ceramics, whimsical/toys, bottle stopper, most unusual, historical, art glass, buttons, figural and marbles.

2014 Shard of the Year Winners. Photo Credit Gary de Blois

2014 Shard of the Year Grande Prize Winner Contest – Gallery Photo Credit: Gary de Blois

A huge thank you to Gary de Blois, who photographed the 2014 Shard of the Year contest. To find out more about the Shard of the Year contest and NASGA, please visit the North American Sea Glass Festival website.

2014 Festival Schedule Announced

August 8, 2014July 25, 2022 nasgawebsiteLeave a comment

The NASGA website has been updated to include the schedule for the 2014 Sea Glass Festival. http://seaglassassociation.org/FestivalSchedule2014.html

On Saturday, the schedule includes two not-to-be-missed presentations as well as a chance to ask sea glass experts the things you’ve always wanted to know about sea glass:

Presentation: Shipwrecks of New Jersey by Margaret Buchholz, noted author and expert on Atlantic coastal history, takes us on a gripping 350-year voyage through the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” — a name bestowed upon the state’s treacherous shoals and inlets.
Open Forum: The Mystery and History of Genuine Sea Glass Panel discussion with sea glass experts and serious collectors Mary Beth Beuke, Jeanie Hood, Jenna Perfetti, Maryann Wadiak, and moderated by Cape May’s own Darlene Eldridge. Bring all of your sea glass questions for the panel.
Presentation: The Sea Glass Center and Traveling Sea Glass Museum by Danielle Perrault. Join Danielle Perreault, Executive Director of The Sea Glass Center Kennebunkport, Maine as she reveals images of natural and man-made sea glass taken from a scanning electron microscope at The University of Southern Maine.

On Sunday, the Festival’s premiere event, the Shard of the Year Contest, awards up to $2,000 in cash prizes for the most pristine and unusual shards of genuine sea glass and other found objects.

See the web site page for details on how to enter the contest and your chance to win the top prize of $1,000. http://seaglassassociation.org/Festival_SOTY.html

As well, NASGA has made arrangements for free remote parking and a free short trolley ride to shuttle you back and forth to the Cape May Convention Hall. Details and a map are now on the Cape May Information page: http://seaglassassociation.org/CapeMayInfo2014.html

The festival is six short weeks away – see you then!

Details Announced for the 2014 North American Sea Glass Festival in Cape May, New Jersey

July 17, 2014July 25, 2022 nasgawebsite1 Comment

Sea glass collectors and aficionados from throughout North America will gather in Cape May, New Jersey this fall to share their treasures from the sea and learn more about this increasingly popular pastime. The 9th annual North American Sea Glass Festival will be held September 27-28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cape May Convention Hall, 714 Beach Avenue in beautiful Cape May. Admission is $5 daily at the door, and the public is invited.

2014 North American Sea Glass Festival — NASGA President, Richard LaMotte showing a young sea glass enthusiast how to distinguish real sea glass from fake tumbled glass.

New to this year’s festival will be the Open Sea Glass Forum, an interactive general question and answer discussion moderated by members of the North American Sea Glass Association. In addition, festival attendees will enjoy presentations from sea glass experts regarding the history and origins of sea glass as well as stunning displays of rare and collectible sea glass.

Over fifty exhibits by sea glass collectors, artisans, and authors will feature only genuine sea glass combed from beaches around the world. Please see the Participating Exhibitors tab for a complete list.

The annual “Shard of the Year”contest awards $1,000 to the grand prize winner as well as additional cash prizes in numerous categories. Please see details at the SOTY Contest tab on the left.

The North American Sea Glass Association is proud to announce that a portion of the festival proceeds will benefit two New Jersey non-profit entities: Clean Ocean Action and the Wetlands Institute. You can read more about these groups on the NASGA Blog

The beautiful new Cape May Conventional Hall is located directly on the beach facing the Atlantic Ocean. The historic City of Cape May, New Jersey, is rolling out the red carpet for the Sea Glass Festival and is a fantastic seaside community to bring the entire family.

The Cape May-Lewes Ferry is offering a 30% off discount to festival goers. Please click here for information on the ferry discount, be sure to book your reservations early! You’ll also find directions to the Convention Hall and the festival, a partial hotel listing for properties close to the Convention Hall, and much more local information.

2014 Festival Poster

This year’s beautiful poster photography using the Cape May lighthouse as a backdrop is by Anita Roth, Anita Roth Photography. The graphic artist was Francine Mueller, Sea Goddess Treasures. Both are commercial members of NASGA. The poster can be purchased for $10 plus $6 postage by clicking this link: 2014 Poster

All of this information and more can be found on the North American Sea Glass Festival website. Be sure to share this important information with your fellow sea glass enthusiasts. See you in September!

NASGA to donate to The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, New Jersey

June 10, 2014July 25, 2022 nasgawebsiteLeave a comment

Every year the North American Sea Glass Association holds it’s annual North American Sea Glass Festival, and every year, the festival donates to a few local charitable organizations that focus on environmental concerns, shoreline protection and clean-ups, all which are also part of the NASGA mission.

This year, the NASGA Sea Glass Festival will be held September 27 and 28th at the Cape May Convention Hall in Cape May, New Jersey. So, in keeping with past traditions, the NASGA Board of Directors wanted to make sure the donations would stay in New Jersey, to help local environmental efforts. The Board of Directors voted on two organizations, this blog entry will introduce the second charitable organizations chosen, The Wetlands Institute located in Stone Harbor, New Jersey.
The Wetlands Institute is a hands on non-profit, focusing on the preservation of coastal waterways, wetlands and ecosystems through research, education, conservation and citizen action. As their vision and mission statement suggests, they strive for a world where wetlands and coastal ecosystems thrive, and educate people on how essential these systems are to life. Their goals focus on promoting the appreciation, understanding & stewardship of the wetlands and coastal ecosystems through their programs and stewardship in research, education & conservation.

Since its foundation in 1969, The Wetlands Institute has actively engaged in a wide variety of research projects pertaining to the habitats, processes, and wildlife of the local barrier beach and wetland ecosystems. Each summer, The Wetlands Institute runs the Coastal Conservation Research Program (CCRP), which provides 5-10 student interns mentoring and supervised research opportunities with experienced research scientists. The Wetlands Institute is a proud founding member of EarthShare New Jersey, the only environmental federation for workplace giving in the state. To find out more about the history of The Wetlands Institute, visit their History page here.

To see upcoming events, festivals, class schedules, or to find out about volunteering or visiting The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, please visit their website.
The Wetlands Institute is a 501(c)3 tax exempt nonprofit organization.

written by Kim Hannon, NASGA Board Member

NASGA to donate to local New Jersey environmental non-profit, Clean Ocean Action

June 3, 2014July 25, 2022 nasgawebsite2 Comments

This year, the NASGA Sea Glass Festival will be held September 27 and 28th at the Cape May Convention Hall in Cape May, New Jersey. So, in keeping with past traditions, the NASGA Board of Directors wanted to make sure the donations would stay in New Jersey, to help local environmental efforts. The Board of Directors voted on two organizations, this blog entry will introduce one of those charitable organizations, New Jersey based, Clean Ocean Action.
Clean Ocean Action is a leading national and regional voice working to protect waterways using science, law, research, education, and citizen action. According to the Clean Ocean Action mission statement, they will identify the sources of pollution and mount an attack on each source by using research, public education, and citizen action to convince our public officials to enact, and enforce laws, which will clean up and protect our ocean.

Below is information that can be found on their website, which includes their successful campaigns.

· Improve programs and laws that protect public health at swimming beaches.
· Reduce plastics and litter that pollute waterways, spoil beautiful beaches, and harm or kill marine life including turtles, whales, seals, birds, and fish.
· Protect coasts from oil and gas drilling in the ocean, including Maine to Florida.
· Establish the nation’s first Clean Ocean Zone to start a national chain reaction for all coasts.
· Reduce toxins in waterways to ensure fish and shellfish are free of pollution and safe to eat.

Clean Ocean Action (COA) is a broad-based coalition of 125 active boating, business, community, conservation, diving, environmental, fishing, religious, service, student, surfing, and women’s groups. The ongoing campaigns, Waves of Action and Beach Sweeps, promote volunteerism focusing on beach clean-ups and eco-conservation projects.

To find out about their current campaigns, including signing a petition to stop underwater ocean blasting off New Jersey shorelines, or to help with their Beach Sweeps and Waves of Action campaigns, please visit their website.
Clean Ocean Action is a 501(c)3 tax exempt nonprofit organization.

written by Kim Hannon, NASGA Board

International Sea Glass Association

ISGA is a non-profit organiz is a non-profit organization positively supporting sea and beach glass collectors and the beachcombing community through festivals, information, educational opportunities, membership, and more.

Tag: Cape May Sea Glass