• Oakland California Holiday Ornament, Pole Gnome, Crystal Glass Ornament Hanging on a Christmas Tree
  • Oakland California Holiday Ornament, Pole Gnome, Crystal Glass Ornament Hanging on White
  • Oakland California Holiday Ornament, Pole Gnome, Crystal Glass Ornament in Gold Gift Box
  • Oakland California Holiday Ornament, Pole Gnome, Crystal Glass Ornament in White Gift Box
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Oakland California Holiday Ornament - Pole Gnome

Oakland California Holiday Ornament - Pole Gnome

$28.00 USD
$28.00 USD
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A garden gnome in a red cap at the base of a utility pole, holding an acorn almost as big as his head. Oakland's smallest public art, and its most numerous.

In 2012 someone began gluing tiny painted gnomes, each a few inches tall, to the base of utility poles around Lake Merritt. Within a year there were more than two thousand. The utility company announced it would remove them, the city objected loudly, and the company changed its mind. Nobody ever took credit. The gnomes are still there.

The oak is Oakland's name and its emblem, and an acorn in a gnome's arms is the city's symbol in the hands of its joke.

A town that fought a utility for its gnomes is a town with its priorities straight. The red cap is the holiday touch and the one bit of color.

The Oakland gnomes on the poles around Lake Merritt are the city's best secret: two thousand garden gnome figures nobody claims. Garden gnome history is old, but this one belongs to Oakland. This gnome ornament is an Oakland Christmas ornament and Oakland souvenir, with the Oakland oak behind it, for anyone from the Bay Area.

Every Oakland ornament ships ready to give. Hang it on the tree, in a window, off a lamp, or send one to the person who misses Oakland most.

3-inch faceted crystal glass ornament, white-backed print, line-drawn in 1880s engraving style, your choice of white or gold gift box.


QUICK FACTS — OAKLAND CA CRYSTAL ORNAMENT — POLE GNOME

Town: Oakland, California

Founded: May 4, 1852

Known for: The Town; Lake Merritt, the first U.S. wildlife refuge (1870); western end of the Transcontinental Railroad (1869); the Paramount Theatre (1931)

Art: Pole Gnome, original Merlin Classics engraving

Blank: 3-inch (76 mm) round clear crystal glass ornament, faceted gem-cut edge

Print: white-backed for contrast; red ribbon hanger

Packaging: white or gold gift box, chosen at checkout

Made to order in the USA



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Wear Local. Feed Local. Stay Classic.

Product FAQs

How does your sizing work?

Every item is made to order, so please check the size chart on this page before you buy. Women's fitted tees run small; size up for a looser fit. Caps are one size with an adjustable strap.

How are items made and when will they arrive?

We make each item to order using premium blanks, embroidery and soft-hand prints. Production takes 2-5 business days (weekends and holidays excluded), then 4-10 days in transit via USPS, UPS or FedEx to U.S. addresses; most orders arrive within 6-15 business days. You'll get a tracking link the moment it ships. Any current shipping offer is shown in the bar at the top of every page and applies automatically at checkout, no code needed.

How do I send a gift?

Enter the recipient's address as the shipping address and your own as the billing address at checkout. Nothing ships with a price; the package includes a plain packing slip. Tracking goes to your email, not theirs. For birthdays and holidays, order two weeks ahead to be safe.

What's the return policy?

Made-to-order items can't be returned or exchanged for size or color, so please use the size chart and photos before ordering. If anything arrives defective, misprinted or damaged, send a photo and your order number within 30 days and we'll replace it or refund you.

How do I care for my item?

Apparel: wash cold, inside out, with like colors; no bleach; tumble dry low or hang dry. Embroidered pieces: iron inside out to protect the stitching. Caps: spot clean. Printed glasses and water bottles: hand wash only, no dishwasher, so the artwork lasts. Mugs and engraved glasses are dishwasher safe. Any item-specific care notes are in the description above.

Who makes this?

Merlin Classics is a small Connecticut brand making original retro designs for the towns people love. Every piece is printed, embroidered or engraved to order in the USA, and the business supports hunger relief in the communities our collections celebrate.

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The reverse shows her mid-sentence, palm open to the audience — a design by Elana Hagler, sculpted by Craig A. Campbell, that puts a working Oakland organizer on a coin the whole country carries.

What's with Disability Justice? In 2025 the United States Mint issued the nineteenth coin of its American Women Quarters program, and it belongs to Oakland: it honors Stacey Park Milbern, who moved to the city at twenty-four and organized from East Oakland as a leader of the disability justice movement. She championed the belief that everyone is inherently valuable, built mutual-aid networks that carried her community through crisis, directed programs at a center for independent living, worked as an impact producer in film, and was appointed to a presidential committee. The quarter's reverse, designed by Elana Hagler and sculpted by Craig A. Campbell, shows her speaking to an audience — one hand near her trach, the other held palm-up in a gesture of open dialogue and allyship — beside the inscription DISABILITY JUSTICE. She is the first woman shown in a wheelchair on United States currency, and her coin carries a piece of Oakland in every pocket it reaches.

Why People Visit Oakland

Visitors come to Oakland for a Bay Area city with its own strong character: a wild lake at its center, redwood groves in the hills, a historic waterfront, and one of the most celebrated food scenes in California. The museums and Jack London Square sit minutes from the lake, and San Francisco is a quick trip across the bay. Equal parts oak-grove heritage and creative energy, Oakland rewards anyone drawn to the heart of the East Bay.

Oakland California Merlin Classics retro logo — California bear and star, California Republic Est. 1850