Most valuable and rare Christmas decorations and ornaments worth up to £500

When you get that dusty container afloat of baubles and different festive trinkets retired of the loft implicit the adjacent fewer weeks, it’s worthy having a bully rummage done your collection.

It turns retired determination are aged Christmas  ornaments that are worthy a beauteous penny. 

Whether they’re decorations handed down done the generations, oregon you’ve conscionable been sentimentally holding connected to them for decades, you could perchance get a windfall to springiness you a precise Merry Christmas from selling them online.  

“A container of mixed vintage Christmas decorations from the mid period is similar golden particulate to a trader oregon collector,” said Rachel Toy, a 20th-century vintage expert, who sells collectables including Christmas decorations connected her tract Rachel’s Vintage Retro.

“If you person a container full, you tin astir apt merchantability it for a bully terms without adjacent having to benignant it retired – nevertheless if you privation to marque definite you get the maximum price, merchantability things individually.

"The astir accessible volition astir apt beryllium those from the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s.”

Rachel said that the champion finds are thing that was classical for the epoch it was made.

Brightly coloured ornaments with the kitsch origin are overmuch sought aft – and they request to beryllium successful bully condition.

She recommends selling done ebay, Facebook Marketplace oregon Vinted, oregon if you person a large collection, it could besides beryllium worthy selling done Etsy. 

Some older antique ornaments tin beryllium worthy thousands.

For example, a German Kugel bauble from the 19th-century sold for a whopping £14,000 and determination are uncommon hand-painted Father Christmas figurines called Belsnickles that tin spell for up to £3000. 

Below, she has outlined the astir invaluable decorations you could person knocking astir successful your attic to look retired for.

The astir invaluable Christmas decorations you could person successful your collection 

1950s Aluminium Christmas tree

Rachel said this peculiar Christmas histrion decoration sells for betwixt £250 and £500, depending connected the condition. 

“These came retired successful the 1950s aft the austerity of the Second World War erstwhile materials were nary longer reserved for the warfare effort," she explained.

"The usage of aluminium and the signifier of the trees nods to the inclination for each things abstraction property that was starting to emerge.

“You could besides bargain a rotating colour instrumentality to alteration the histrion to airy up. These are worthy astir £50-£100 – and boxed is adjacent better.”

Mercury Glass baubles 

These decorations – known arsenic kugel baubles aft the German connection for ‘ball’  are thought to beryllium the archetypal ever solid Christmas decorations, made from silvered mercury solid and topped with a brass hanger.

They were made successful the mid-late 1800s successful Germany.

“Once Woolworths started to banal them, they became fashionable successful the US and UK. Not galore survived arsenic they were truthful delicate, truthful are precise desirable to find now, particularly successful their archetypal boxes,” explained Rachel.

“They came successful a assortment of shapes successful gorgeous colours and manus painted designs.

"Prices for a acceptable of bully boxed circular baubles mean astir £25-£50 depending connected condition. Concave and teardrop shaped ones are adjacent much sought aft and tin bid higher prices.”

Old reasonably lights

It astir apt ne'er occurred to you that your fairy lights mightiness beryllium worthy anything, but Rachel says that those from the aboriginal to mid period tin beryllium valuable.

“Names to look retired for are Pifco, Noma, and archetypal Woolworths ones," she said.

"A acceptable of uncommon Pifco Cinderella coached shaped shades is going for £225 connected eBay astatine the moment.

"Most sets volition beryllium successful the range of £25 - £50 and ones made successful the 40s and 50s with shades made from bakelite and beverage solid are much unusual, truthful they volition beryllium worthy more.”

Flocked Christmas ornaments

“Flocked ornaments – usually successful the signifier of a santa, oregon a reindeer – were fashionable backmost successful the day,” said Rachel.

The larger stand-alone ornaments tin spell for £25 upwards, portion higher prime ones made successful Japan are precise sought aft and collectable – prices for these tin spell into the £100s, she added.

Paper honeycomb decorations

These decorations made from insubstantial insubstantial by Paul Jones Garlands, Beistle, Cascade and Peter Pan are becoming progressively valuable, Rachel said.

“As they are truthful delicate, it's hard to find ones successful cleanable condition,” she added.

"They usually came successful the signifier of a bell, angel’s skirt, tree, ball, Santa’s chapeau oregon arsenic a garland. Expect prices of £20 upwards.”

Panaura decorations

Dating backmost to 1968, Rachel said that these acrylic decorations were lone disposable for a fewer years and truthful are present precise rare.

“They were handmade by disabled workers astatine the institution Remploy and came successful 3 acrylic designs; starburst, ellipse and diamond, with the second being astir sought after.

"Single decorations tin merchantability for £25 nowadays, and sets spell into the £100s.”

Diorama decorations

Rachel said these tin merchantability for astatine slightest £20 each, but up to £200 for apical prime editions.

“Jewel Brite was the shaper of these and I ever find that if I get these tiny integrative baubles with a cut-out beforehand and Christmas country inside, they merchantability instantly – and for a bully price," she said.

“There were besides tabletop decorations and light-up ornaments. Ones made successful Japan are worthy much and a acceptable of 1950s solid ones is up for merchantability astatine astir £200 connected eBay.”

Rare Christmas histrion toppers

“In the 1800s, a fig of the Baby Jesus would adorn the apical of a tree. However, it began to alteration to a Christmas Angel, and later, a fairy that told the shepherds astir Jesus, oregon a prima similar the Wise Men saw.

"Many radical made their ain successful the 50s, 60s and 70s from a doll and spot of nett curtain and these are rather fashionable to cod – astatine astir £15 - £20 each,” explained Rachel.

“Again, Japanese made ones with kitsch faces are worthy more, arsenic good arsenic older doll ones made from hard plastic.”

In the 1990s, immoderate appeared with porcelain faces and hands and these are collectable excessively – the astir costly Rachel has seen is 1 going for £70 connected eBay.

What should I support that could go invaluable successful future?

Rachel said that Christmas decorations from the Nineties are becoming much sought after.

“Searches for ‘90s Christmas decorations’ are expanding connected my website twelvemonth connected year," she said.

"Think woody decorations, histrion fairies with porcelain faces, colour-themed baubles and tinsel. Large outdoor lights from the clip excessively could beryllium fashionable arsenic we didn’t truly bash outdoor lighting successful the UK until the 1990s.”

How to store Christmas ornaments

“Store successful a dry, chill spot and wrapper successful insubstantial insubstantial oregon bubble wrap. Don’t store anyplace damp oregon wherever rodents tin get in. Pack cautiously and don’t stack boxes connected apical of them,” said Rachel.