Valuable Vintage Christmas Decor That Might Be Buried in the Attic

The Pink Aluminum Christmas Tree by Evergleam is a high-ticket item in the world of vintage Christmas decorations. There’s almost nothing more quintessentially 1960s, especially if it was one that had been ordered from the Evergleam Christmas catalog. This sparkling rose pink Christmas tree is a must-have for many collectors, which is why it can fetch up to $5000 if it’s in good condition. There are other color options from the decade that also fetch a considerable price, but the pink variation is the most sought-after due to its rarity.

We can remember a time when you’d find a toy soldier blow mold lying around every house in the neighbourhood. Whether they were buried at the bottom of the children’s toy chest or packed away in the Christmas decorations box, they were a common sight. But these days, depending on how many toy soldiers you have in a set, these vintage decorations can sell for up to $1000. The better the condition these hollow plastic soldiers are in, the higher the chance you have of getting a good price.

This is a Christmas decoration collectible that you may not have seen before. It was made in the 1970s and really speaks to the designs of that time. Perhaps that’s why it can sell for up to $600 on the secondhand market. It is made of white ceramic and features several lights along the body of the tree, with a large glass star topper. It needs to be plugged in to get the full effect, so if you have one of these ceramic decorations, it might be well worth checking that the wiring still works before putting it up for sale. 

Department 56 created a Charles Dickens Village Mill back in the 1980s, which was a hit even back at the time, and is why it can fetch $1,250 on the secondhand market today, depending on the condition it’s in. It’s easy to see how this ceramic model village mill can fetch such a high sum, as it’s intricately decorated to a high standard and was inspired by the storytelling of the English Victorian novelist Charles Dickens. 

This might be the first time you’re seeing a vintage Christmas decoration like this. But if you have encountered it before, or better yet, if you actually own one, then you’ll recognize it instantly. That’s because it’s an unusual design that was created in the 1950s and is currently being sold for a high price. Depending on the size, condition, model, and year of the Bradford Celestial Star Tree Topper, it can sell for anywhere between $200 and $600. It features a stained glass design so that when it’s plugged into an electrical source, the light inside comes on and reflects colors all around the room. 

The Vintage Victorian Angel Tree Topper isn’t to everyone’s taste, but to the right buyer, it can sell for a whopping $859. This antique Christmas tree topper is made of glass beads, wax, and is dressed in silk, making it a delicate collectible item. Because of that, any Victorian angel tree toppers in near-pristine condition are likely to sell for a high price. Even the vintage angel toppers with some wear and tear will likely sell for a decent price. 

There are many replicas made of solid brass deer, but they are made out of inferior materials. Sometimes, it might even just be plastic, which will save a bunch of money. But real solid brass deer sell for a high price and are consistently in high demand. Depending on the size and condition of the deer, they usually sell between $400 to $1150, so any unused solid brass deer that you have hanging around in your attic should be resold on a secondhand site. 

If you have something resembling the ceramic Goebel Hummel figurine and you aren’t using it, make sure you list it on eBay to see what you can fetch for it. It’s currently selling for $1200 on the secondhand market due to its rarity, but can fetch an even higher price depending on the particular model. It features a little girl reaching up to a post box to deposit her letter for Santa Claus. There’s also a small snow sled at the base of the girl’s feet, and the girl is dressed in warm winter clothes. 

The waving Santa and Reindeer Blow Mold was created by Empire in the 1970s, and sells for a shockingly high value today. This lawn ornament can fetch as much as $2400 if it’s in good condition, in large part due to how hard it is to find on the secondhand market. It doesn’t just sit on the lawn, however, as Santa can actually wave his arm when plugged into an electric socket! 

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Christmas Story Village Lighted Hammond Town Tree by Department 56 wasn’t anything particularly valuable. But the reality is that this Christmas ornament can sell for $699 if you find the right buyer. It’s rarely listed for sale on secondhand websites, so the high price is reflective of how hard it can be to find. If you have one of these lying around your attic and you’d be willing to part with it, be sure to put it up for sale on eBay and cash in. 

Department 56 has also dabbled in making figurative characters out of ceramics, and one of the most highly sought-after of their vintage figurines is the Todd and Margo ornament from the 1989 family movie Christmas Vacation. It features Todd and Margo mid-jog and was released following the success of their Griswold Holiday House replica. This figurine alone can sell for up to $850, without any of the other Department 56 creations related to Christmas Vacation. 

A vintage papier-mâché decoration set of Mr. and Mrs. Claus is another high-ticket item in the collectible Christmas decoration market. The ornaments from the 1940s are highly sought after and currently sell for over $500 if they are in relatively good condition. Papier-mâché Mr. and Mrs. Claus sets are handmade, making it all the more unlikely that they would have survived up to the present day in such good condition. 

Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch is a much-beloved Christmas story, which is why the Department 56 figurines of the green Grinch are so appreciated on the secondhand market. A few different Grinch figurines have been released by Department 56 over the years, but one in particular is especially sought after by collectors. It was only manufactured back in 2013, but it’s already considered to be a vintage classic and collectible.

The Bethlehem Holy Family Scene Nativity was manufactured by Grandeur Noel and features over 19 separate pieces. The collector’s edition from 2001 includes various figurines, structures, and working lights that have been painstakingly painted. Depending on the quality of the set as a whole, it’s possible to fetch anywhere between $200 to $400 for the nativity scene. While it may be worth a considerable chunk of money, the level of detail and the breadth of the Christmas ornaments ensure that these Grandeur Noel nativity sets are consistently regarded as high-ticket items.

Usually, vintage Christmas ornaments need to be in good condition to sell for a hefty sum of money. However, in the case of the French Kugel Ball Cathedral Mirror Mosaic Ornament, it can show serious signs of wear and tear and still command a high price. Not everyone will appreciate what this ornament has to offer, but the right collector will recognize its worth and justify the $4,850 price tag. 

This cheeky Christmas decoration combines modern and ancient elements into one playful design. The Christmas Pageant Peanuts Nativity Scene was created by Lenox and features seven individual pieces of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Woodstock, Sally, Linus, and a Christmas tree. If you have the whole set, just know that they’re selling for around $450 if all the pieces are in good condition. A set like this would be a hit with adults old enough to feel nostalgic over Peanuts, as well as young children. 

It’s not as common to see a life-size nativity scene on the front lawn of someone’s home during the festive period these days, which is why these vintage blow mold Christmas decorations sell for as much as they do. A life-size nativity scene can fetch up to $3000 depending on the number of figurines that make up a set and whether the electrical components are in good working order. 

Steinbach’s Troll Fisher Nutcracker was a limited edition release that was handcrafted with great precision and care in Germany. Unsurprisingly, this vintage Christmas decoration sells for over $300 on eBay today, depending on the condition of the item. Usually standing at around 10 feet tall, Troll Fisher Nutcrackers that come with their original box are sure to fetch higher prices. For the right buyer, a collectible Christmas item like this will certainly sell on the secondhand market.

Department 56 created Boss Shirley’s mansion home from the 1989 movie Christmas Vacation, a collectible piece that quickly gained popularity among fans of the film. In 2015, they released a special edition of Boss Shirley’s House that featured charming holiday lights, making it even more rare and desirable than the original version. If you happen to own the Platinum Key Special Edition of this piece, you should be aware that it could fetch up to $1,750 on the secondhand market, as it has previously sold for this amount. 

The 1989 movie Christmas Vacation has become a classic to watch while the whole family’s together, which is why Department 56 took it upon themselves to create the Griswold holiday home from the film. This ceramic family home replica is gorgeous to look at and really adds a vintage festive touch to a Christmas decoration collection. It needs to be plugged in for all the Christmas lights on the house to light up, so if you’re thinking of selling your own, just check to make sure that all the electrical components work. 

Vintage ceramic Christmas trees have experienced a resurgence of interest from collectors, making this particular Christmas ceramic tree from Atlantic Mold especially sought after. Manufactured during the 1970s, this tree is green in color and decorated with colorful bows that light up when plugged into an electrical outlet. A glass star Christmas tree topper sits at the tip of the ornament, completing the vintage feel of this adorable decorative item. These trees can sell for a whopping $688, based on past listings on secondhand sites. 

If you didn’t already know it, the Spun Cotton Heubach Boy toy decoration could easily be mistaken for a worthless old Christmas ornament that’s well past its prime. But vintage Christmas decoration collectors would jump at the chance to buy one of these more rarely seen hand-spun cotton antiques. Standing at only three inches tall, and handmade in Germany around 1900, the Spun Cotton Heubach Boy features cotton batting clothes, a bisque head, and originally held a small bunch of red flowers in the center. 

Some vintage Christmas decoration items are highly desirable even if they’re in poor condition. This particular Gimbels Store Display mechanical Santa Claus has serious cracks across its face and shows significant wear and tear to the fabric textures, but it still sells for up to $3,000. It’s straight out of the 1950s, making it a vintage Santa that harkens back to the days of classic Santa Claus Coca-Cola ads. 

Blow-mold molds of Santa and Mrs. Claus can also fetch a price that’s much higher than what they originally sold for. Created using the manufacturing process that sees hot air blown into the middle of a hollow piece of plastic to create a voluminous shape, these blow-mold molds typically stand around 39 inches tall and make for great Christmas lawn ornaments. Sometimes Santa and Mrs. Claus are grouped together into one single mold, whereas at other times they might be two separate decorations that make a set. 

Some people like to bake and build gingerbread houses during the festive season. But not everyone can be bothered to go to the effort of creating a real gingerbread house, which is why the Department 56 ceramic gingerbread is a perfect Christmas addition. It’s the most beautiful gingerbread house you’ve ever seen, and all you need to do is simply take it out of storage every year and put it on display. As it stands, a Department 56 gingerbread house will sell for just under $200 on secondhand sites.

Any vintage Christmas enthusiast can tell you all about the popularity of Coca-Cola’s Santa Claus advertisements back in the day. Which is why it’s hardly a surprise to learn that Coca-Cola Santa Claus Christmas decorations can fetch a fair amount on eBay. In particular, the animated Coca-Cola Santa Claus & Dog figurine that was manufactured in 1991 is currently selling for $225 for the complete set with the original packaging. 

This Christmas vintage planter is representative of the kind of Christmas decorations that are much desired in the secondhand market. It features a woman in festive apparel holding a large sack, in which a real plant can be placed. It’s made of ceramics and hails from Japan, and only stands at around four inches tall. Despite its small stature, it sells for just under $250 on Etsy and may even fetch a higher price depending on the exact model and condition of the item. 

Here’s a Christmas blow mold with a more modern touch to it. In the case of the Snoopy Christmas Blow Mold, the cartoon Beagle Snoopy is reimagined as Santa Claus, complete with the red and white Santa suit, hat, and a bag full of presents slung over his shoulder. Whether someone would want to put their Snoopy Christmas Blow Mold on the lawn or in the house, they could plug it into an electrical socket and watch it glow. 

This particular vintage Christmas decoration is sure to lend a realistic touch to your festivities. These are brass sleigh bells meant to represent the bells considered a lucky charm during the holiday season and historically found attached to oncoming sleighs or the horses used to drag sleighs around. The heavy brass bells and thick leather straps are reminiscent of simpler times, and as such, they can sell for up to $250 on eBay. 

It’s hard not to be charmed by the Norcrest Christmas Shopper Girl. It hails from Japan and is made from fine China, stands at 4 inches tall, and features a young girl in festive clothes shopping for the holiday season. The figurine is holding a basket of holly and appears to be in a skipping motion. It’s easy to see why a decoration as precious-looking and exquisitely painted as this can fetch up to $250 on the resale market. 

General Foam packed up their manufacturing business in 2018, making their Christmas decorations particularly valuable in today’s vintage decoration market. The Camel blow mold might not be to everyone’s taste, but for some collectors, it’s a gem that’s well worth the price tag of $245. Originally designed as a lawn ornament for the Christmas season, it can also be used as an indoor decoration for those with enough space. 

What can be more classic than a Christmas snowman? Perhaps that’s why the snowman resin ornament sells for $276 on Amazon to the right buyer. It features a smiling snowman dressed in a Christmas hat, boots and scarf, holding up a small Christmas tree and sign that reads “Merry Christmas”. It’s hard not to bring a smile to the face of anyone who passes by it, making it a pricey ornament when sold on the second-hand market. 

The Sylvania Santa’s Train Light Sculpture is a real treat for vintage Christmas decoration lovers. It used to be a staple of 90s home decoration during the festive period, but now is considered to be a collectible that can fetch anywhere between $100 to $234 through secondhand sellers. If you happen to own one of these, you could be one of those sellers giving this light sculpture a whole new lease of life. 

This precious figurine of a little girl shopping for Christmas was made back in the 1950s and was originally made by the manufacturer Relco. It depicts a blonde child in Christmas garb and a bonnet holding a wreath, and it’s sought after in the secondhand vintage Christmas collectors’ world. Made of ceramic, glaze and pain-stakingly hand-painted, with flecks of gold added to her blonde hair for some extra color dimension. 

Some decorations may be on the smaller side, but they can still command a hefty price on the second-hand market. Vintage red Christmas trucks can sell for anywhere between $100 to $150, depending on the condition and size of the item, which is a very considerable amount considering they are usually made from inexpensive materials. There might be variations in their design, from what’s in the back of the truck to what’s written on the side of the vehicle, but they more or less maintain that nostalgic charm that collectors are looking for.