Oregon Coast Treasure Millennium Glass Floats

Take Home Handcrafted Beauties From Lincoln City Beaches

Jul 8, 2008

Among the myriad treasures on the Oregon Coast, many visitors are fortunate enough to take home one of the most unique, a free handcrafted millennium glass float.

Each year for the past nine years the Lincoln City Visitor and Convention Bureau has sponsored Finders Keepers. Select glassblowers on the coast make special handcrafted signed and numbered glass floats. These floats are secretly placed on Lincoln City beaches daily from October 18th through Memorial Day weekend.

Finders Keepers

Anyone who finds one of these signature blown glass floats may keep it. Anyone finding one of the floats may take it to the Visitor and Convention Bureau (VCB) at 801 SW Highway 101 in Lincoln City and the bureau will issue a certificate of authenticity to accompany the ball. The VCB will also give the finder a full-color Finders Keepers poster suitable for framing.

The VCB has recently announced that the tradition will continue for the tenth year with the 2008-2009 Finders Keepers.

The glass floats are placed from the vegetation line to the water line along the 7.5 mile stretch of public beaches in Lincoln City. Searchers are encouraged not to search on the hillsides and cliffs where vegetation grows, the balls are not placed above the vegetation line. Often they are set in plain site, sometimes hidden behind obstructions, but easily seen and accessed. The thrill of finding one of these floats adds additional excitement to beachcombing.

Sought After Treasure

Glass floats have been a sought after treasure on Oregon’s beaches for years. The most common floats in the past have been actual fishing net floats used by Japanese fleets. These floated in the ocean for 10-30 years before landing on the beach. The fishing industry's glass floats were replaced with more modern floats made of more durable modern materials years ago, and the odds of finding one of these plain pale green glass globes on Oregon's coast is slim.

In contrast, the millennium floats in the Finders Keepers glass float hunt are handcrafted on the Oregon coast by local artists and come in a colorful kaleidoscope of colors. The colors and composition are limited only by the immense creativity and talent of the glassblowers who create them.

It is a local mystery how the floats are placed on the beaches and who puts them there. There are many stories of how the locals think they are placed, but those who really know aren’t talking. All that is known and readily talked about is that they show up daily and are found regularly.

If a visitor is not fortunate enough to find one of the Finders Keepers floats, all is not lost. Similar floats may be purchased at select gift shops and glass blowers in the area. Although these won’t bear the millennium float stamp, they are still beautiful and delightful.

While searching for the millennium floats, visitors should take the time to swing by and enjoy the view and amenities of the D River Wayside area. A trip to the coast is never a waste, and always a treat. With the recently announced continuance of the Finders Keepers glass float hunt, a visit to the Oregon coast can also mean taking home treasure.

The copyright of the article Oregon Coast Treasure Millennium Glass Floats in Oregon Travel is owned by Jon Thompson. Permission to republish Oregon Coast Treasure Millennium Glass Floats in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.