#Christmas #Tree #Pins #Buy #Leave #WorthPoint
It’s not a stretch to borrow a botanical term and call Christmas tree pins perennial favorites among jewelry collectors. I keep them in my online shops all year, and sales are steady, with a predictable uptick during the weeks leading up to Christmastime. I have a couple in my own cache of holiday collectibles, too—although if I had to choose between a tree and a Santa brooch, I’d take the jolly old elf every time. Well, almost every time. A couple of makers of Christmas tree pins are near and dear to my heart, and their work continually tops the list of most desirable trees.
Not all Christmas tree pins are as popular as my favorites, though, so I’ll clue you in on some brands I usually leave behind unless the WorthPoint Price Guide tips the scales up on an unusual example. There are also some moderately priced trees still worth picking up, but prices on some of those have tempered over the past few years, so it’s a good idea to double-check current values before sinking your cash into them.
Trees on the Nice List
Fifteen to twenty years ago, I counted on almost all Christmas tree pins to sell within a fair amount of time. Many new collectors of holiday jewelry were entering the marketplace, and they were snatching up everything. Some of those collectors are now selling off their stashes, or they’re only buying the most unique pins to round out their treasure trove, so the market has indeed changed. Take the Weiss tree pin with six candles, for example; it still makes the buy list but for far less than before. In the early 2000s, you could count on these to sell in the $150-200 range. Now, they routinely bring $50-75 and up to $125 paired with matching earrings.
Then you have my two favorites: Dominique and Lawrence Vrba. I love both these brands of Christmas trees because they’re spectacular and because I count the makers of both as personal friends. Dominique was made by the late Dom DeTora, with whom I spent time shopping for tree pins (and everything else he made) on numerous occasions. The demand for his Christmas jewelry has grown stronger over the past five years, and it’s not uncommon for his tree pins to sell for $100-200 or even more, depending on the style and size.
I first met Vrba in 1993 at a jewelry collectors convention, kept in touch, and had the pleasure of visiting his studio in New York more than a decade after that. His oversized Christmas tree brooches have also steadily risen in price and easily sell in the $200-350 range now.
Limited-edition trees marked Dorothy Bauer can also sell for $300-600, and even smaller trees signed Bauer can sell for $100 or more. Trees with hand-manipulated construction marked Miriam Haskell or Stanley Hagler (the work of Mark Mercy or Ian St. Gielar) are also popular choices with price tags exceeding $200. I don’t pass on Lunch at the Ritz trees either since they can also get up there in price.
Even well-known companies like Marvella and Regency made some Christmas tree pins that can sell for several hundred dollars each. The key with these is that they didn’t make many, so they’re hard to find, but it’s worth spending a bit more than average on them when you do.
Moderately Priced Tree Pins
Most of the Christmas tree pins I sell fall into the moderate price range, from about $35 to $100. The high-quality Swarovski pins marked with a swan logo are worth mentioning in this arena. This well-known producer of rhinestones made many different Christmas tree designs, including a series of Rockefeller Center trees dating back to the early 2000s. All of the Rockefeller examples used to sell for more than $100, but the price has come down on some of them now. Other examples by Swarovski almost always fall into the moderate range.
Hollycraft is another vintage brand that used to sell for more than it does now, with a few exceptions. One is a layered modernist design that can sell for more than $500, but those are few and far between. A few others that are on the hard-to-find side and can bring closer to $100. Others sell with price points around $35-45, but a few of the most common ones can be found online for bargain prices without much effort these days. Pakula—a brand produced by Hollycraft—often falls into the $20-45 price range, too.
Mylu is another moderately priced brand that mostly sells in the $25-50 range. Napier, Kirk’s Folly, Eisenberg, Warner, and several other companies made trees that sell for similar prices. Most of Trifari’s trees are reasonable, too, except for their Modern Mosaics design, which sells in the hundreds. There are even unmarked trees featuring specialty stones like watermelon margaritas falling into this category that I pick up when given the chance.
Trees to Leave Behind
While all trees are pretty in their own way, some just don’t have much resale value. The exceptions I’ve mentioned throughout this article illustrate that you need to look individual items up as you’re shopping to confirm values, but there are a few brands I can say with certainty that I rarely add to my inventory.
Gerry’s, JJ (Jonette Jewels), and Avon are among the names that aren’t really in demand at this point, so they rarely sell for more than $15 each. Trees marked ART have also slipped into this category, although they used to be rated moderate several years ago. Buy them to wear or start a collection for a child in your life by picking up these inexpensive baubles. Just don’t expect to turn them over for much of a profit or sell them quickly if you list them online.
Want to learn more? There are several books that cover a wide range of Christmas pins. One to check out online in the WorthPoint Library is Christmas Pins: Past & Present by Jill Gallina.
Pamela Siegel is a freelance writer and author who has been educating collectors for more than two decades. In addition to three books on topics relating to antiques and collectibles, she frequently shares her expertise through online writing and articles for print-based publications. Pamela is also the co-founder of Costume Jewelry Collectors Int’l (CJCI) and the proprietor of Chic Antiques by Pamela.
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