These Valuable Christmas Decorations Might Already Be in Your Collection

You might be surprised at what vintage hand-me-downs are worth some cash.

When you pull out all of your decorations for this year's holiday decorating, you might want to take an extra look at what you have in your collection. Perhaps you have a few family heirlooms that haven't been touched in years, or maybe you own an array of vintage accents. While Christmas decorations hold all kinds of sentimental value, a handful of vintage varieties also hold a hefty monetary value—including ones you might already have at home.

With the popularity of sourcing antique stores, estate sales, resale sites, and thrift shops for a nostalgic Christmas display, it's possible you have a hidden treasure of your own hiding in a cardboard box at the back of your storage closet. Don't be too quick to declutter your collection until you've read our list of valuable holiday decorations you could very likely have—you might be surprised!

Meet the Experts

Jennifer Furnari, marketing associate for Ruby Lane, an online marketplace of collectible items, assisted in curating a list of some of the most valuable Christmas decorations sold on the site. "These items were selected based on their enduring charm and presence in our marketplace, and the price points that they are regularly purchased at year after year," Furnari says.

Even if you don't find any of these valuable vintage Christmas decorations in your own home, you can buy them online or hunt them down yourself while scouring antique stores. Make sure to cross-check the value and look at the condition of an item before purchasing.

Related: 5 Secrets for Finding Buried Vintage Treasures, Straight from Design Pros

Ceramic Christmas Trees

Now reproduced and sold in stores like Macy's and Wayfair, the ceramic Christmas tree has made a comeback in recent years. They were extremely popular in the '60s and '70s, with many homeowners making their own in a ceramics class or at home if they had the capacity and tools to do so. According to Today, the original trees often sell between $100 and $200 each, depending on the type and condition. During the Christmas season, the prices might even go higher as demand increases. Check the bottom of your tree for its manufacturer—the first ceramic trees were made by Atlantic Mold, with many other valuable designs made by Nowell. Extra large trees and musical trees are worth the most money.

Department 56 Villages and Figurines

Department 56 is known for its lighted Christmas village collections and figurines. Collectors could spend years devoted to finding every last piece to their set, with some of the series extremely difficult to source. Depending on the rarity, complete sets can sell for up to $15,000, like this A Christmas Story Village. Even individual buildings sell at a decent price due to the company's reputation for high-quality and realistic ceramic products.

Related: The History of Christmas Villages Makes Us Love The Tradition Even More

Shiny Brite Ornaments

Shiny Brites are a classic vintage ornament, and increasingly popular for the modern homeowner's Christmas decor. The production of Shiny Brites began in the United States in 1937 and stopped in the 1960s. Individual glass ornaments can range anywhere from $5 to $90, depending on rarity and quality. An entire set in the original box can be worth much more. If you find a Shiny Brite ornament with a cardboard cap and a string of yarn for a hanger, it was likely produced during the period of WWII and is considered extra rare.

Related: How to Clean Delicate Christmas Decorations

Blow Molds

Decorative blow molds once covered neighborhood lawns between the 1940s and 1970s—mostly for Christmas but seen during other holidays like Halloween and Easter, too. They were most often made in the shape of Santa, reindeer, snowmen, candy canes, candles, and nativity scenes. This vintage Santa and reindeer set is selling for $800 on eBay. To get an idea if yours might be truly vintage, you can check the bottom to see if there are any dates embossed or if it has an older style of plug. There would also be no barcode anywhere on the figurine.

Aluminum or Feather Christmas Trees

Popular in midcentury decorating, genuine aluminum Christmas trees are typically worth some serious cash, reselling for anywhere from $300 to $3,000. Similarly, genuine feather Christmas trees are nothing to sneeze at either. They were first popular in the United States when German immigrants brought the dyed-feather trees overseas in the 1920s. This one from Ruby Lane includes a collection of vintage ornaments and garlands to accompany it.

Holt Howard Collectibles

Holt Howard was known for playful, cartoon-like ceramics, with their winking Santa mugs a highly sought-after Christmas collectible. Despite the chips and fractures of this pitcher and mug set, it's still selling for $265. True Holt Howard items often have the name and year or an "HH" and year stamped on the back or bottom of the item.

Vintage Sleds

Seen in modern Christmas and winter decor, a vintage sled is great for exterior decorating or for leaning up against a mantel. Often, the older and more intricate, the more valuable the sled. This cutter-style children's sled is being sold for $1,100, complete with the original paint (including the name of the child who owned the sled) and iron runners with stars and curlicue designs.

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