Buoy, ain’t these pretty?
Whether you blow your own or find one on the beach, few things say Lincoln City like glass floats. Long before talented glass artists began producing the colorful floats now hidden daily on local beaches, a man named James L. Watson began collecting antique and unusual floats from all over the world, a collection now housed at the North Lincoln County Historical Museum.
The museum is now offering a rare opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts to acquire antique glass fishing floats from the renowned James L. Watson Glass Fishing Float Collection at a fund-raising sale on Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1.
A wide variety of floats will be for sale, ranging in price from $20 to more than $5,000.
Watson was born in 1944 and passed away in 2002. He was one of the world's leading collectors of Japanese glass fishing floats, amassing an extensive collection throughout his lifetime. His dream was to one day have his collection displayed in a museum, sharing the beauty and history of these unique objects with the world. This dream became a reality in 2023, when his wife Diana generously donated the most significant pieces from Watson’s collection to the museum, ensuring that her husband’s legacy would live on.
At the time of donation, it was agreed with the Watson Foundation that a portion of the glass floats would be made available for sale as a fundraiser toward continuing Jim’s legacy and continuing the museum’s mission of providing the public with an educational resource dedicated to the preservation of North Lincoln County History.
The upcoming sale features only a portion of the Watson Collection’s roughly 350 antique floats, representing a wide variety of styles and sizes created by Japanese glassmakers in the early 20th Century.
"We are honored to be the permanent home for the James L. Watson Glass Fishing Float Collection and are excited to offer this rare opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts to own a piece of history," Executive Director Christopher Melton said. "The extensive collection features rolling pins, balls, sausages and float variations of all sizes."
Watson’s first find was a large lavender float the size of a basketball on the beach near his home in Hawaii. His life was changed, and he found his calling: to seek out the rarest glass fishing floats he could find and share their beauty and history with the world. He later moved from Hawaii to Neskowin, where he continued to beachcomb along Oregon’s sandy beaches, an historical hotspot for Japanese floats. Throughout his life, he traveled to Japan and befriended locals, fishermen, glass makers and collectors. He also gave talks and presentations, teaching people about the history of these unique objects, which functioned as both important tools and exquisite pieces of art.
The North Lincoln County Historical Museum is located at 4907 Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City.
For more information, go to northlincolncountyhistoricalmuseum.org or call 541-996-6614.
Before the sale begins on Friday, the viewing room will be open to the public from 11 am to 1 pm for a meet and greet with other collectors and to view the floats. After the viewing, those interested in purchasing will draw a lottery ticket and visitors will be let into the room in small groups from 1:30 to 4 pm on Friday and 11 am to 2 pm on Saturday. Each person will be allowed to purchase one item. After all ticket holders have chosen their floats, the sale will open to all.