21 Valuable Vintage Christmas Items To Look For At Thrift Stores And Estate Salves

Decorating for Christmas is one of the most beloved parts of the holiday. However, Christmas decor as we know it today is a relatively recent phenomenon. Although its roots date back to 15th century Germany, the tradition of decking the halls, not just with boughs of holly, but with sparkling ornaments, pine trees, and Santa Clauses only really became a universal practice during the tail end of the 19th century. 

Nevertheless, it was only after the financial security brought on by the end of the second World War that the unbridled, nearly competitive passion for Christmas decor of modern times really began. As a result, many holiday enthusiasts now love to revisit the midcentury era for the charming prototypes of what would ultimately become a culture in its own right, one that far transcends the historical and religious origins of the season. From ceramic figurines and train sets, to holiday-themed china and tree ornaments, vintage Christmas is a fascinating, expansive world, so be sure to look out for these pieces at thrift stores and estate sales. The growing demand and similarly increasing rarity, caused by the passage of time and the resulting damage and misplacement, has made some vintage Christmas items truly valuable. 

Czech rhinestone Christmas trees are gorgeous works of art with a long, rich history. You might have heard of Bohemian crystal before. This is the glassware tradition from the old Bohemia and Silesia regions of present-day Czechia (the Czech Republic) and Poland. It's believed that the first rhinestone Christmas trees were made by factory workers with leftover crystals in the early 20th century for domestic purposes before they started being commercialized. Today, a vintage specimen can sell for as much as $400 on eBay. The more intricate and bigger the tree, the more valuable it's likely to be.

Just like Czechia (then Czechoslovakia) was exporting glass Christmas ornaments to the U.S., so too was Germany. Most popular among those exports were kugels: colorful, hand-blown silvered glass globes. Early versions of these decorations were brought over the Atlantic by German immigrants as early as the 18th century, but most vintage pieces hail from 19th century Germany and, later, France. They were first commercialized in the U.S. by Frank Woolworth in the 1880s. Antique examples in rare color-shape combinations can be worth as much as $1,000 in the resale market today.

Vintage Christmas miniatures in general are among the most valuable things to look out for at estate sales and thrift stores, but one brand to remember is Department 56. Still a beloved collectibles manufacturer today, early Department 56 Christmas figurines from the '70s, '80s, and '90s are worth a lot of money, especially if they've since been retired. A complete set sells for over $700 on eBay, but a single item can be worth $500 if rare enough. Some particularly valuable series include Dickens' Village, Christmas in the City, North Pole, and The Original Snow Village.

Shiny Brites are arguably the most popular vintage Christmas collectibles. These all-American tree globes draw inspiration from the same German glass work tradition that birthed kugels, but originate from a collaboration between German immigrant Max Eckardt and the Corning Glass Company in 1939. The company's original run ended in 1962 but others have used the trademark to sell reproductions since. It goes without saying that the originals are the most collectible, with enthusiasts having a special interest in models made during the second World War when metal caps were replaced with cardboard.

Ceramics are popular vintage Christmas finds, particularly from brands like Lefton and Napco. Both imported kitsch porcelain figurines of all kinds from Japan all throughout the 20th century, but their Christmas editions are especially beloved. From angels and snowmen, to reindeers and Santas on sleighs, these tiny pieces can go for multiple hundred dollars in the resale market. If a figurine is ancient, rare, and perfectly preserved, it can be incredibly valuable. Many will be marked "Made in Japan" or "Made in Occupied Japan" if produced between 1946 and 1952.

If you love collectibles, chances are you've heard of the Pyrex craze. Christmas and Winter-themed patterns are some of the most valuable vintage Pyrex pieces to look out for at thrift shops and estate sales. The company was famously founded after a bid to create a heat-resistant, durable casserole for his wife led Corning Glass employee Jesse Littleton to apply a borosilicate glass formula, which was developed for railroad signal lantern globes, to dishware. Pyrex has been a reliable and beloved kitchen staple ever since. Coveted vintage Christmas patterns include Snowflake, Frost Garland, and Snowflake Garland. 

When Nancy Reagan picked cloth ornaments made by Stormville, New York, craftswoman Gladys Boalt to hang on the White House Christmas tree in 1980, these hand-sewn, hand-painted soft sculptures became an instant collectible for Americans everywhere. Boalt shaped these dolls after all kinds of Christmas popular culture characters, as well as animals and real life figures such as different American presidents, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Queen Victoria. All items are marked and dated, and can be found on vintage markets like eBay, selling for prices anywhere between $30 and $200.

One of the Christmas decor giants of today, Kurt Adler is another sought-after American manufacturer of vintage ornaments. The company has been active since the mid '40s, with most of its holiday-themed pieces entering the market a few years later. There's a stunning range to choose from as Kurt Adler produced everything from tree toppers and ornaments in glass and wood, to figurines and nativity scenes. The brand also licensed the rights to popular universes and characters like Mickey Mouse, Sesame Street, and Snoopy. On eBay, the most expensive ornaments are valued at around $50.

Like Lefton and Napco, Holt Howard was also a prolific Christmas ceramics manufacturer of everything from dishware to Pixieware. However, it's the company's Santa Claus mugs and pitchers, which it is credited with creating in 1949, that conquer the hearts of vintage Christmas collectors. Curiously, Holt Howard is also believed to have popularized the use of mugs for coffee and tea (as opposed to cups and saucers). They've since been replicated countless times, but the original winking Santa models can be worth hundreds of dollars when in mint condition. They should be marked on the bottom.

If model trains are a Christmas classic, then Lionel trains are absolutely quintessential. The New York City company, founded in 1900, turned these toys, which were already being produced in Europe, into an empire. By the '50s, the company's miniature trains were a staple in American households. Collecting model trains is so popular that it has its own association, so it's no surprise that a rare complete vintage Lionel set can sell for a whopping $11,000 on eBay. One of its most Christmassy sets is The Polar Express, introduced in 2004 (that's vintage enough!).

When talking about nutcrackers, it's the image of the wooden soldier that comes to mind. This association, and, in turn, the association with Christmas, is largely down to the eponymous 1892 Tchaikovsky ballet, where one of these little toys turns into a real man on Christmas Eve. However, as with many Christmas traditions, soldier nutcrackers only really became part of the decor after the second World War when American soldiers brought them home from Germany. They're highly collectible, with some being worth thousands of dollars. The German Steinbach and Christian Ulbricht are important brand names to remember.

Unlike many of the items on this list, nativity scenes have been around for millennia, their origins intrinsically linked to Christianity. This far-reaching history makes them an essentially infinite resource for collectors. The largest collection registered belongs to an Iowan man who owns a remarkable 2,324 sets. Since the possibilities are basically endless, aficionados enjoy purchasing nativity scenes in different materials and creative designs. On eBay, prices range from $1,000 to $3,000, and those are only the examples sold recently. Condition, material, manufacturer, and, of course, age, all contribute to this spectrum.

You wouldn't think that tiny houses made of cardboard and glitter and sold at five-and-dime stores would be a valuable vintage find, but, with Christmas decor becoming more collectible, these miniatures, known as Putz houses, have built quite the fandom. Although they have roots in the same Central European regions that introduced many of the items on this list, most specimens on the resale market today hail from Japan, which took over production after the first World War. A lot of 25 houses from the mid 20th century, for example, sells for over $120 on eBay.

Plastic is another hugely popular material in vintage Christmas decor, especially in the form of blow molds. These figures, made from melted plastic blown with pressurized air to fit molds in the shape of Santas, snowmen, nativity scenes, elves, and reindeer, were synonymous with the Yuletide in the second half of the 20th century. With the biggest manufacturers like General Foam, Empire, and Beco gradually going out of business, the value of vintage models climbed to the hundreds and thousands. To identify the age of a vintage blow mold, look for embossed markings on the bottom.

Christmas decor isn't complete without a dining table display to match. Now, vintage china made before the '70s may not be safe for food consumption, but it can still look beautiful used around the home in multiple ways. Nearly every tableware manufacturer has produced a Christmas line in its lifetime, but many beloved sets have been discontinued, making them especially collectible. Some brand names with iconic Christmas patterns include Spode, Lenox, Royal Copenhagen, Fitz & Floyd, and Johnson Brothers. Get informed about how each maker's mark has evolved through the years to score true vintage finds.

Although there are a few ceramics entries on this list already, Christmas trees deserve their own dedicated spot. This is because they weren't typically sold as the final product, but as a DIY project. In the '50s and '60s, companies like Atlantic Mold, Duncan, and Holland sold the slip casting mold, while studios provided workshops where people learned how to make, decorate, glaze, and fire their own trees. This is why examples on the resale market are all so different from each other, even if similarly shaped. And you can buy the original molds, too!

You can collect as many vintage ornaments and figurines as you want, but you won't truly capture the nostalgia of a 20th century Christmas without the adequate lighting. These incandescent lights were most often stringed and enclosed in painted glass bulbs of all shapes and colors. The earliest pre-assembled, consumer-grade Christmas lights were produced by General Electric in 1903, with displays becoming more ambitious with time. The Matchless Wonder Stars, produced between the '30s and the '50s, for example, are an especially coveted model. A box of eight sells for nearly $500 on eBay. 

The idea of a midcentury home might evoke minimalistic, clean, organic wood visuals, but this was also the era of space exploration, where decor, including the Christmas kind, played with designs inspired by the atom and space ships. Aluminum trees are arguably the best example of this. By the late '60s, these scraggly, unabashedly artificial metallic trees had fallen out of favor, as legend goes, because of a "Charlie Brown" Christmas special, but they've experienced a renaissance among vintage enthusiasts since. Now, a well-kept model can sell for $2,000 on eBay. 

You can't have a Christmas decor list without some candles, and the Gurley novelty candles are among the most emblematic of the season. These miniature candles were made between 1939 and 1994 in New York, becoming beloved additions to holiday displays during the '50s and '60s. Too cute to burn, a lot of these items have been preserved to this day. Pre-1949 models will be marked Tavern, the company that Franklin Gurley bought and transformed into the sensation it would eventually become. These days, a set of 10 sells for as much as $65.

Bottle brush trees are a Christmas essential. Their origins are murky, but by the '40s these artificial plants with bristles made from animal hair or synthetic fibers, twisted around a wire, were cherished pieces of holiday decor. They can be as tiny as an inch or as tall as 20 inches, come bare or adorned with globes and lights, and take on wildly different colors. Nowadays, they're reproduced by retailers and DIYers, but a good way to identify a true vintage is to look for models with worn-out silvered ornaments or "Made in Japan" stamps.

There's nothing wrong with going all out for Christmas, but a more understated way to join in on the vintage Christmas craze is to find gorgeous linens to dress your dining room and kitchen. Tablecloths, placemats, runners, napkins, or tea towels can all be valuable vintage finds that bring warmth and charm to your holiday decor. Even unbranded pieces can sell for over $100 on eBay when they're made from quality natural materials and in mint condition. Details that display a bygone level of craftsmanship like embroidery, hand-stitching, and lace are particularly valuable.