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Collecting Santa Claus Figures – Which Santa to Collect?

November 27, 2010 By: Fan



St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Father Frost, Kris Kringle, Pere Noel, Ded Moroz, and Santa Claus to name a few. He may have many different names but he is globally known and loved by all young, and old alike. Yes, he visits once a year, but for some, his presence is felt year-round.





Did you know there are many more Santa Claus collectors than snowmen or angel collectors! There is even a Santa Claus museum, one in Santa Claus, INTexas Santa Claus museum has many rare and fragile Santa Claus figurines made from celluloid; a precursor to plastic material made between 1860s-1940s. This museum also has an extraordinary 1970s Santa made from Readers Digest magazines. and a Santa Claus museum in Texas. The





There are collectors of Santa figurines that keep their displays up all year-round, and why not, it certainly makes for a jovial home when there is a Santa Claus or two smiling at you every time you walk into the room.  Some collectors display their Santa’s according to a particular theme like “Patriotic Santa” where the entire Santa’s are dressed in variations of red, white, and blue and wave little USA flags.




I simply adore the hand carved and hand painted Russian Santa figurines from Russia. An artist that hand carves the figurine from Linden wood then hand paints gorgeous scenes on the figure makes these Santa’s. During the harsh Russian winters, Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter, the Snow Maiden, drive his sleigh from deep within the forests to deliver gifts to the Russian people. Designs on these Santa’s can be so detailed with full painted scenes of children gathered around Christmas trees and Troika – 3 horses pulling a sleigh. Russian wooden Santa’s can range in price from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. Great site here for Russian Santas.





Another type of collectible Santa Claus figurine is Belsnickel. A Belsnickel is the fur-clad Santa or Old-World Santa that originated in northwestern Germany along the Rhine. In the 19th century the Belsnickel Santa was not a jolly roly-poly Santa we know today but rather a character that frightened the community. Belsnickel brought goodies for well-behaved girls and boys, and carried a whip and sticks to punish the naughty. Customs varied from community to community, but the enormous role of Belsnickel played in Christmas celebrations is evidenced by the many cookie cutters, chocolate molds, dolls, papier-mâché figurines, scrapbook cut outs, and postcards that survive from the era.





The 1950s-1960s Spaghetti Santa Claus figurines are desired today. Perhaps it’s the nostalgia of the good old days these vintage Santa’s bring to those that collect them. Most of these Santa’s were imported from Japan by companies like Lefton, Irice, Napco, Holt Howard and Inarco to name a few and were painted with bright colors and shiny glazes. These vintage figurines can be bought today for $9.99 – $50.00 and really are charming!

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Put it Down or Pick it Up? Tips for Buying Antiques & Collectibles

November 2, 2010 By: Fan




This is the time of year when folks begin their search for gifts as the holidays are (as of this posting) 53 days away! This is also the time of year when it is more important than ever to try and snag some bargains. All my loyal readers know that I am a eBay Power Seller and also sell on Etsy and I wanted to share some tips and tricks with you all when you are shopping that can save you money and get you some really great items.





Lets start right off with the “Pick it Up or Put it Down” scenario we have all faced at some point. Today, shopping at thrift stores and flea markets is a very “in” and “hip” thing  to do and we will focus our article on shopping for Vintage/Antique items and the best part is you can actually hold these item(s) in your hands and get a really good look at them as opposed to buying online where you are taking the sellers description and photos into consideration and not able to actually see and touch the item.





Pick Right Up:

  • Designer & Name Brand Clothing
  • Designer Accessories (Sunglasses, Handbags, Shoes, Belts)
  • Limited Edition Items
  • High-end Pottery and Dinner (Spode, Lenox, Herend, Roseville, Moorcroft, Vietri Deruta, Limoges, Prussia) items Made in England, France, Germany and Italy.
  • Collectibles With Tags and Boxes
  • Singed Items With Artist or Makers Marks
  • Items in Good Over-All Condition
  • Items That Are Strange, Unique, and Weird (these can be valuable & highly desired)




Put Right Down:

  • Items That are Dirty, Broken or Have Damage
  • Items That Have Been Mass-Produced
  • Items That Are “Fakes” Replicas” and “Knockoffs and “Designer Inspired”
  • Books That Are Previously Loved (Ripped Pages, Stains and Damage)
  • Items That Are Primarily Made in China (Lots of Pottery and Dinnerware Fall Into This Category And Are Not Vintage or Antique and Very Common)
  • Stuffed Animals (Although Very Collectible, Usually Not Clean And Damaged)
  • Items That Still Retain Their Thrift Shop or Garage Sale Tags (Look These Over Well as There May be Something Wrong With the Items Because if it Didn’t Sell at The Garage Sale or Thrift Shop You Need to Wonder Why?)




TIP:
There are a lot of online sellers on eBay, Etsy, Rubylane, Tias, Bonanzle aka Bonanza, Shabby Lane Shops, Lollishops, Beautiful Shops and Shabby Cottage Shops and also Craigslist where you can actually contact the sellers and “make an offer” or have them create something unique and one-of-a-kind for you and actually buy at auction and totally score fabulous items at next to nothing!! Etsy and eBay allows buyers to view seller ratings so you can easily see what other buyers are saying about their experience with the seller and quality of merchandise etc… Other sites, you need to be a little cautious and Ask, Ask, Ask, when in doubt. Hope this article is helpful to you and Good Luck with all the many things that are starting to take place as we near the Holidays!!

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