Of all the things one might expect to see at Penn State's All Sports Museum at Beaver Stadium, a Christmas ornament may not be one of them.

A ceremony was held Friday, however, to donate a newly retired plaster master mold of the "We Are Penn State" ornament, made by Christopher Radko, to the sports museum. Radko is a noted ornament craftsman and has been in the business for nearly 20 years.

"We have everything from Christmas ornament molds to Joe Paterno's old VHS recorder," said Lou Prato, director of the All Sports Museum. "This mold is unique. It is a particularly interesting item."

Athletic Director Tim Curley said the sports museum wanted to display the Penn State Christmas ornament because "it represents the spirit that Penn State stands for."

Mitch Ballas and Randy Ammerman, ceremony organizers and owners of George's Floral Boutique, 483 E. College Ave., have Christmas on their minds all year. Their boutique showcases a collection of more than 400 styles of Christopher Radko ornaments.

The mold that will be on display in the sports museum was sent from Poland, the home of one of Christopher Radko's factories. Christopher Radko creations are silvered ornaments that are blown from glass; each ornament takes several days to complete.

In 1999, Ballas and Ammerman requested that Radko make an exclusive piece for the university. "We thought, why not do something Penn State?" Ballas said.

Because George's Floral had been a dealer in Christopher Radko ornaments since 1993, Radko agreed to make the ornament.

He produced the first-ever collegiate ornament to be introduced to his line. This ornament, The Nittany Lion Ornament, is an heirloom of Penn State's Lion Shrine.

Since his first collegiate piece five years ago, Radko made three other Penn State inspired collectables. "PigSkin Penn State," made in 2001, is a football with Joe Paterno's signature on it. The last two Penn State exclusives include "We Are Penn State," made in 2002, and "Blue Band March," made in 2004.

Ballas added that because Christopher Radko retires close to half of its line each year, it is constantly changing and evolving. After a designated number of ornaments have been produced, the master mold of that ornament is usually destroyed.

"Christopher comes out with an entire line of 700 pieces a year," said Tammy Murray, Christopher Radko district sales representative. "A piece that is retired can still be sold as long as they're in stock. They just go up in value. But once they're gone, they're gone."