Hallmark Christmas Collectibles

Decorating our homes and trees for Christmas is a big part of the holiday season in America, and an entrenched part of our culture. So much so, that you might think Christmas has always been an American tradition. But until around the 1840s, it wasn't widely celebrated here. Immigrants from Germany and England brought with them the practice of decorating trees, complete with ornaments from their homelands. That's when Christmas ornaments hit a boom in the United States. Merchant F.W. Woolworth gave in to the craze reluctantly, stocking his Woolworth stores with these Christmas decorations in 1880. Just ten years later, selling tree ornaments had grown to a $25 million part of Woolworth's business. Adjusted for inflation, that's nearly $500 million in today's dollars, from just one merchant.

Out of American's love for Christmas decorations came Hallmark Keepsake ornaments, more than three decades ago. In 1973, Hallmark introduced the first Keepsake collection, consisting that first year of six glass ball ornaments and 12 yarn figures. Three factors made them unique: their year dating, their designs, and their limited-time availability. Since that initial offering, Hallmark has introduced more than 3,000 different Keepsakes, and more than 100 series ornaments (groups of ornaments which adhere to a theme).

Over the years, Keepsake ornaments have ranged in theme from pop culture icons, like Barbie, to ornaments which commemorate special relationships or to acknowledge milestones, like a couple's first married Christmas, baby's first Christmas, and children's ages as they grow.

Some people buy the ornaments as gifts that say, "I know you well" to the recipient, and some buy them for themselves because a particular theme speaks to them. Still others buy every Keepsake because, like many limited-edition collectibles, they are expected to increase in value.

Here are a couple of examples:

1991 Star Trek Starship Enterprise ornament sold originally for $20 and now lists on the secondary market for $395.
The 1979 Santa's Motor Car from the Here Comes Santa series, first sold for $9 and now lists on the secondary market for $690.

**Note, those various secondary market publications list these prices, Hallmark does not make any claims as to their validity.

By: Marc Dean

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Marc Dean is a freelance writer who writes for Preferred Consumer. He has done significant research online on articles, debt and finance.