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The collecting of Christmas decorations has been very popular for many years. They bring back nostalgic memories of past holidays for many of us. The items shown in this blog represent some of the possibilities for collecting Christmas-related decorations. We have assembled some photos along with descriptions for your reading enjoyment.
Merry Christmas!
Dresden ornaments shown above were generally made between 1880 and 1910. Dresden ornaments were made of cardboard, dampened, and pressed in a stamping die. The ornaments were often made of several pieces and hand-assembled. They were thinly embossed. Dresden ornaments are hard to find in today’s antique marketplace and they are highly prized.
The German Belsnickles displayed above were made in the late 19th century to circa 1920. The Belsnickles above range in size from 2” to 21” with some being candy containers that separate at the bottom of the coat and boots to expose a small container for holding candy.
The rarest of the group is the 21” Belsnickle with a brown coat and glass icicles for its beard. It also has a bisque face, blue glass eyes, and a rare feature, an open mouth with exposed teeth.
Santa collecting is popular today with the Belsnickel being one of the most sought-after types.
Pictured above is a large paper mache three-dimensional wall hanging that was likely used in a store display. The Santa has nice hand-painted detail with bright colors. Circa 1940.
We would like to thank Betty Bell of Betty Bell Antiques and Tom Jewett of Jewett-Berdan Antiques for the photos shown above.