What Vintage Christmas Decorations are Worth Money? — Emily Retro - Vintage and DIY Home Design (2024)

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Vintage Christmas decorations can be worth some money! But which items are valuable? I love collecting retro Christmas decor because they are so nostalgic. If you’re looking to buy for your personal Christmas collection or you are a reseller and want to sell Xmas collectibles, this is the list for you!

Ceramic Christmas trees

Ceramic Christmas trees have been having a moment lately! You can buy new ones at stores like Home Goods and even Aldi. True vintage ceramic trees are handmade or hand painted and can be worth a lot of money.

Related: Vintage Christmas home decor tour 2021

You can watch one of my most watched YouTube videos where I show the valuable vintage Christmas decorations I own.

Vintage sleds

I love leaning a vintage sled up against my house during the winter months! Sometimes they’ll have great graphics on it. The vintage metal saucers have beautiful illustrations on them and are worth a lot.

Christmas blow molds

Is there anything more nostalgic than a vintage Christmas blow mold? Blow molds are one of the most expensive items on this list. There are specific ones that are very valuable like the santa’s sleigh and reindeer blow mold (Which is featured in the movie Christmas Vacation).

Related: How to Find Out How Much Vintage Items Are Worth

Vintage Christmas lights

Christmas lights can hold a lot of value, especially if they have their original box. Or if they are special and unique like bubble lights that can make them worth more.

Related content: How to find the best items at an estate sale.

Vintage glass Christmas tree toppers

Fancy glass tree toppers are works of art. The boxes they come in are so cute and colorful too. They are incredibly fragile and can break easily.

Collectible Santa decor

Kitschy cute Santa decor can be worth a lot of money. Ceramic Santa and Flocked Santa decor is highly collectible. Rushton Company Santas are very unique and can be pricey. Two flocked Santas are in the photo above.

If you’re a reseller and you’d like to know more highly collectible items to shop for, read my blog post Valuable Vintage Items to Sell and Collect.

Shiny Brite ornaments

Shiny Brite ornaments are so popular that they are making new ones that you can buy at Home Goods! The original ones can be worth a lot especially if they have their original box or if they have a unique shape or pattern. I have a collection of Shiny Brite ornaments inside a big glass jar in the photo above.

Knee hugger elf

Knee hugger elves hold a lot of nostalgia. You can find large elves or a smaller size that’s an ornament.

Putz house and village

I have a giant vintage putz house collection! They are fragile houses made out of paper and most of them were made in Japan. If you find a putz house village with its original box that’s worth a lot. But selling houses individually is a great idea to make money too!

Related: How to Decide What Vintage Items You Should Buy or Leave Behind

Holt Howard Collectibles

I don’t own any Holt Howard Collectibles because whenever I see them they are out of my price range. If you have one in your possession it could be worth a pretty penny!

Paper ornaments

Small paper ornaments that are handmade or made in Japan can be surprisingly expensive. Little tulle pipe cleaner angels for instance like the two blue ones above. These figurines work perfectly placed inside a putz village.

Santa mugs

Santa mugs have a cult following! They’re so popular that Pottery Barn started making their own new version. The vintage version is a fun item to shop for and if you spot one for a good deal definitely scoop it up! You can watch me find a bunch of vintage Santa mugs on the Burley Park flea market video below.

Gurley candles

Gurley candles are available in just about every holiday and the Christmas ones are quite collectible. The bigger they are the more expensive they get. I have quite a few Gurley candles in the photo above.

Vintage cardboard fireplace

Vintage cardboard fireplaces are made of paper and weren’t meant to last which makes them rare. They’re so kitschy cute!

Vintage Egg Nog Set

I have a Tom and Jerry egg nog set that I found at an estate sale and I love to decorate with it. It’s functional and the graphics are adorable.

Vintage bottle brush trees

You can buy new bottle brush trees but vintage ones are way more special. Especially because you can get them flocked and with little bulbs on.

Aluminum Christmas trees

An aluminum Christmas tree is the other insanely expensive item on this list. If you want your home to exude vintage Christmas charm then you need an aluminum tree.

This aluminum tree photo was taken at Downtown Antiques which is one of my favorite West Michigan antique stores.

Color wheel

You can’t have an aluminum Christmas tree without a color wheel! You’re not supposed to put lights on aluminum Christmas trees so they came out with a color wheel. It projects colors onto the tree to simulate having Christmas lights. They are the epitome of mid century modern and can be quite expensive.

Do you own any of these vintage items? If you do then you’re very lucky and I hope you cherish them (Or resell them for a lot of money!). If you’re getting ready to decorate for Christmas you can check out this helpful resource: How to Get Through a Home Decorating Creative Block.