| Definitions of terms most commonly encountered by Sebastian collectors. |
| Advisory Council | A group of knowledgeable, experienced Sebastian collectors and dealers established by the Sebastian Exchange to establish values for the Value Register. This group met annually to review valuations. Their decisions were printed in the Sebastian Exchange Value Register. |
| Arlington Era | A period of time from 1938 to 1945 in which the first Sebastian figurines were made, mostly "early couples." These were manufactured by Prescott W. Baston in the basement of his Arlington, MA home, the "Arlington studio." |
| Bonded Porcelain | Bonded porcelain is a material that has become a popular medium in which to cast collectibles. It first started to appear in the early 1980s. The popularity of the medium had grown over time and now many collectable lines are produced in bonded porcelain. It is composed of a resin (as the “bonding agent”), a coloring agent and ground up porcelain frit, a vitreous material widely used in the industry. |
| Carbone | A wholesale gift distributor in Boston, MA. In 1939, this company took over the distribution of Sebastian Figurines. This continued until 1950. |
| Ceramastone | A trade name for the material used in casting most Sebastian Miniatures. It consists of fine ground gypsum cement particles in liquid suspension. These harden to a chalky white after about five minutes of set-time. After World War II, Baston was encouraged to cast his work in fired ceramic but he refused. Following the lead of artist John Rogers (see Rogers Groups), he wanted to keep the price of his work within the reach of many. |
| Collectors Guild | See Sebastianworld Collectors Guild. |
| Collector's Society | See Sebastian Miniatures Collectors Society. |
| Commercial Item | Any Sebastian figurine or other item that was made exclusively for a specific individual, organization, business enterprise. Usually the distribution was limited to the members, clients or customers of the ordering party. These items are generally the most scarce, sought after and valuable of Sebastian figurines. |
| Early Couples | A term applied to the first group of figurines originally created by Prescott W. Baston between 1938 and 1946, produced first in his Arlington studio and later in Marblehead. They are individual figurines issued in pairs. Most of them depict historic persons. The SML numbers are SML-1 to SML-34. Several other similar couples created after 1946 are sometimes included. Sometimes referred to as Baston's "Favorite American" series also. |
| Gold Book | Officially, the Sebastianworld Gold Book of Information and Values. A complete list of all Sebastian Miniatures, first issued in 2000. Published by Sebastianworld, Inc. Contains photos of virtually every item listed. |
| Hudson Creek | A company formed in 1996 to assume the assets of the Lance Corporation and continue the operations of that company. Through a combination of circumstances, the company did not succeed and its assets were acquired by Spoontiques, a manufacturer and importer located in Stoughton, MA. |
| Lance Corporation | A company located in Hudson, MA that manufactured all Sebastians from 1976 to 1998. Lance established the Sebastian Miniatures Collectors Society in 1980 in part to announce and market newly designed or reintroduced Sebastian Miniatures. |
| Lance Era | Sebastian items manufactured between January 1, 1976 and 1998 by the Lance Corporation of Hudson, MA. Most important, the Lance Era signifies the beginning of the shift of marketing Sebastians as collectible figurines versus Baston's Marblehead high-volume commercial busines and low-volume retail sales. Lance assigned a Production Model Number to each piece, distinct from the Sebastian SML system. |
| Marblehead Era | A period from 1946 to 1975 when all Sebastian Figurines were made in Prescott W. Baston's Studio in Marblehead, Massachusetts. This was preceded by the Arlington Ear and followed by the Lance Era |
| Midwest Fair | An annual event held in Farmer City, IL each fall. Sponsored by the Blossom Shop. For further information, Click here. |
| Primary Market | That area of collecting concerned with current and recent figurines still available from Sebastian dealers. The Secondary Market concerns itself with items no longer available from dealers. |
| Sebastian Exchange | An organization formed in 1981 by a group of Sebastian collectors to provide fellow collectors with news of interest to them. Focus was on the "secondary market" - older Sebastians no longer available from dealers. Published the Sebastian Exchange Value Register Handbook as well as a quarterly newsletter. Created the Sebastian Advisory Council to establish values.. |
| Sebastian Festival | An annual event held in Massachusetts in June for all Sebastian collectors. Sponsored by Stacy's Gifts and Collectibles. For more information, click here. |
| Sebastian Miniatures Collectors Society | An organization formed in 1980 by the Lance Corporation to advise Society members of new issues. Published a quarterly newsletter, provided members with limited edition Sebastian figurines and published news and information of general interest to Sebastian collectors. |
| Sebastian Retail | Items designed for sale through gift shops during the period 1938 to 1975. From 1951 to 1976, the retail line was used more and more to fill-in slow periods between higher volume commercial contracts. The SR designation is sometimes used to identify figures made for this specific purpose. See also Lance Retail. |
| Sebastianworld Collectors Guild | An organization for Sebastian collectors formed January 1, 2002. Sponsored by Sebastianworld, Inc. |
| Sebastianworld, Inc. | A corporation formed in 2000 to assume the responsibilities of former collectors organizations. Issues publications, operates Sebastianworld Collectors Guild and sebastianworld.com web site. |
| Sebastianworld News | A newsletter containing information of interest to Sebastian collectors. Published three times a year by Sebastianworld, Inc. Distributed to all members of the Sebastianworld Collectors Guild. |
| Secondary Market | That area of collecting concerned with figurines no longer available from dealers as new issues. |
| Schmid Bros. | A Boston gift distributor who contracted with Prescott W. Baston to create and distribute a number of popular figurines including the "Folks in Little" line. This relationship existed from 1946 to 1950. |
| Spoontiques | Originally a manufacturer of pewter items and in recent years also an importer of gift items, located in Stoughton, MA. It assumed the assets of Hudson Creek, manufacturer of Sebastian Miniatures in 1998. |
| Value Register | A publication of the Sebastian Exchange printed from 19xx to 19xx listing Sebastian figurines and other items made up to the date of publication. Values for all known, collectable Sebastian items were listed and general information about Sebastians and related information was also provided. |
| Wayland Studios | Formed by Prescott W. Baston, Jr. in 2000 to assume the design and manufacture of Sebastian Miniatures. |
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