By SUSAN EMERSON MELLISH
AntiqueWeek Correspondent

Holidays are big with collectors. Christmas items are abundant. Vintage Halloween always brings top dollar. But what about those holidays that are not met with as much fanfare?

Maybe these lesser celebrated events are worth a second look where collecting is concerned. Saint Patrick’s Day is one such event. While this holiday conjures up images of green beer and shamrocks many more Irish related items are available for the collecting.

According to www.st-patricks-day.com, “Saint Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Most of what is known about him comes from his two works, the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish Christians.” Saint Patrick described himself as a “most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshipped idols and unclean things had become the people of God.”
Born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the 4th century, Patrick was taken prisoner at the age of 16 by a group of Irish raiders as a result of an attack on the family home. Sold into slavery in Ireland, Patrick worked as a shepherd and relied on the study of Christianity to help him during this time. After six years, Patrick escaped his captors and walked nearly 200 miles to reach the Irish coast. He then returned to Britain.

Patrick later moved to France, joined a monastery studying under St. Germain, the bishop of Auxerre.

This course of study lasted 12 years after which Patrick was ordained as a priest. He then supposedly had a revelation where an angel came to him in a dream saying he was to return to Ireland as a Christian missionary.

At this time, the Gaelic Irish were mostly pagans. Patrick was good at converting the masses, traveling throughout the country preaching, baptizing and confirming the people as they accepted Christianity. The Celtic Druids were none too pleased about Patrick’s successes and often tried to capture and prevent him from his work. Patrick became good at eluding imprisonment and spent almost 20 years doing his missionary work, which included establishing monasteries and setting up schools and churches that helped him in his conversion efforts. Patrick also developed a native clergy, established dioceses, and held church councils.

A great deal of his success was because Patrick incorporated traditional Celtic rituals into his Christianity lessons. By not completely condemning native Irish beliefs, the people were more open to Patrick’s views. Knowing the Irish often used fire to honor their gods, Patrick incorporated the use of bonfires to celebrate Easter. The sun, another powerful Irish symbol, was placed on the Christian cross by Patrick to create what is now known as a Celtic cross.
Many legends surround St. Patrick and his teachings. It is said he used the native three-leafed shamrock (a sacred plant in ancient Ireland as it symbolized the rebirth of spring) to explain the concept of the Trinity; which refers to the combination of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is also said that St. Patrick rid Ireland of all snakes by waving his wooden staff over the land while presenting a sermon on a hilltop. The fact Ireland was never home to any snakes did not stop this legend’s significance. It is often felt this “banishing of the snakes” is actually a metaphor for the eradication of paganism from Ireland due to St. Patrick’s work.

St. Patrick died on March 17, A.D. 461 and it is his death that is remembered on St. Patrick’s Day. While many see this as a day of revelry, its initial intent was to celebrate the universal baptism of Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day was originally a Catholic holy day, but has now become a secular event and with it has come collectible items used to commemorate this day.

It can be argued which symbol most represents St. Patrick’s Day. Many would say it is the shamrock. Besides the use of the shamrock by St. Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity, this three-leafed plant was later used as an emblem by the Irish Volunteers during the emergence of Irish nationalism. When England began seizing Irish land and made laws against the use of the Irish language, many Irish wore shamrocks as a symbol of their pride in their Irish heritage and their dislike of what the English were trying to do.

Shamrocks are also loved for their three-leaf design. It is said that three is Ireland’s magic number. Numbers played a big part in Celtic tradition and symbolism with three being the most special. Three is said to signify totality – past, present and future; faith, hope and charity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The actual rhythm of Irish storytelling tradition is based on a three-part repetition. Think about Irish blessings… “May your day be touched by a bit of Irish luck, brightened by a song in your heart, and warmed by the smiles of the people you love.”

Equally representative of St. Patrick’s Day is the leprechaun; though this little icon had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
The original Irish name for these folklore figures is “lobaircin” which means “small-bodied fellow.” The leprechaun probably comes from the Celtic belief in fairies – small men and women who had magical power which could be used for either good or evil. Folklore says that leprechauns look like little, old men, who are often dressed as a shoemaker complete with a leather apron, hat and pointy toed shoes.

Leprechauns are not friendly, but cranky little guys who are aloof and just want to be left alone to make their shoes. However, it is known these tiny shoemakers each have a pot of gold hidden away. Legend has it, if a person catches a leprechaun, he can be forced to show where he has hidden his gold. But be warned, a person can never take his or her eyes off a leprechaun – and the leprechaun will try to trick you into looking away. If you look away, the leprechaun will disappear and with it the chance at the gold.

There is a lot of tradition here, but surprisingly not an overabundance of St. Patrick’s Day items have been produced to commemorate this day.

Collector John Thomas of California is probably the exception. Thomas and his wife, Sandy, have been acquiring St. Patrick’s Day items for more than 15 years and will publish a book on the topic through Schiffer Publishing (Atglen, Pa.) in the spring of 2012. The book’s working title is St. Patrick’s Day Collectibles – Then and Now.

According to Thomas, “There is a wealth of St. Patrick’s Day items that attract collectors.” He points out that postcards and other flat items such as magazine covers are very popular finds. “The graphics on these pieces can be very colorful and include everything from shamrocks to leprechauns.”

Mugs and steins made specifically to be used on St. Patrick’s Day is another fun area. Planters, figurines and other decorative items like cookie jars, ornaments – even fruit crate labels are eagerly snapped up if they are adorned with shamrocks, pots of gold and the Celtic cross.