I started collecting flower frogs about 20 years ago when I retired from the freight business and decided to become a gardener. One day at a garbage sale, I picked up a small, beautiful gold-paper box. Upon opening it, I found four tiny, copper "pin" flower frogs. They were so delicate-looking, only one-square inch in size, but boy, were they sharp! In 1940, a patent was issued describing this item as "a holder of flowers that sat in water like a frog." Thus the name stuck. Vintage flower frogs have become a hot collectible over the past 15 years. They are cataloged as glass, pottery, and metal. Flower frogs have been used for centuries under many different names such as pin frogs, kenzan, or flower spikes. Many flower frogs rest on the rim of vases and bowls to hold stems in floral arrangements. Other types sit at the bottom of a vase to secure the stems. I have noticed the large, round "candlelites" as pen/pencil holders. The pin types hold business cards or photos. I like to do "frog arrangements" using old porcelain casserole pans.
