Vintage goods have a customer base that is sometimes willing to spare no expense when it comes to acquiring a good find. Between sentimental value and material value, it is easy to justify dropping a sum for the right item.
Many are finding the right item to be old fashioned ceramic Christmas trees. Once a thing in the sixties and seventies, the vintage trees become popular each holiday season with nostalgic buyers willing to pay top dollar for one.
You may remember seeing one of these in your house or your grandmother’s house when you were younger. They generally stand higher than one foot and would decorate mantels, window sills, or tabletops. Smaller ones were also available.
Sellers are posting these on sites like ebay and Etsy where prices are in the hundreds. Recently, one sold on ebay for $650. Today also shared that handmade ones that people created in ceramics classes are also in demand.
Some are plain evergreen style and others have snow-covered needles that are accented with Christmas bulbs. One of the cool features about the trees is that the lights actually lit up. Others could play music! For many who are willing to shell out the money for one of these, the decoration taps into Christmas memories and brings warmth and happiness.
If you have one hanging around your house and are interested in selling out, design expert Bob Richter urges you to do it now. Richter wrote a book called A Very Vintage Christmas and is a collector of antiques and nostalgia items.
He recently sold several of the ceramic trees for between $100 and $200. He said that interested sellers should get it now while the getting is good because most people aren’t paying attention to the trees any other time of the year.
Richter told Today that they should be listed on ebay or a similar site for a short period (like 3 days) with a headline such as “Get it in time for Christmas.” Prices range anywhere from $30 to $79 on up into the hundreds, and the ones that spin or play music fetch more.
To get the most from your sale, make sure your tree is in good condition, take excellent photos, and post an accurate listing.But buyers out there should be aware of impostors.
Since retailers such as Amazon, Target, and Urban Outfitters are selling their own versions of the retro tree, it can make it easy for an unscrupulous vendor to dupe someone into thinking they’re buying a vintage one. Do your homework!
But if you just like the look of it, go ahead and get one of the newer models. If you are already the proud owner of a vintage tree, you may just want to keep it in the family for the next few generations, or at least dig it out of the attic. After all, the holidays brim with family mementos and sentimentality.
Did your family own one of these trees when you were growing up? Are you interested in buy a vintage one? Would you sell yours or keep it?
Source: