DEPARTMENT 56 COLLECTIBLES - HISTORY, COLLECTING & DISPLAY

Please visit Alice in Stitches for our selection of Department 56

Department 56 appeals to our sense of tradition and a simpler time.  Setting up the holiday village has long been a family tradition at our house.  There's speculation on whether we can squeeze one more house into our village, whether it is time to expand to another table top, and who will be the head-designer for our layout this year.  We have an ecletic display with a bit of  Dicken's Village, a lot of New England Village and even, a Christmas in the City teahouse.  Whether you are a purist and collect only one series, or like me and collect everything that you like, there's plenty of room to play and create your own individual display.

A LITTLE HISTORY

The beginning of the Dept. 56 phenomenon began with a Christmas holiday at a small country inn in a quiet river town.  A group of friends, inspired by the old-fashioned, holiday decorated village, speculated on recreating such a scene.  This idea became reality when in 1976, Department 56 introduced six hand-painted, ceramic buildings. 

In 1984, the concept of the Heritage Village Collection was developed with the first release being a Dicken's Village collection of eight buildings.  In 1986, the New England Village and Alpine Village and Snowbabies series were added.

In 2001 the company celebrated it's 25th Anniversary, for which they designed numerous special edition pieces and limited items.

Department 56 was originally a division of Bachman's, a retail florist in Minneapolis.  The number 56 was the number assigned to the wholesale gift imports division.  Dept. 56 is now headquartered in Eden Prarie, Minnesota.

TERMINOLOGY YOU MIGHT FIND IN LISTINGS

• Accessory - People, animals and non-lit structures to add to village sets.
• Animated - A piece that has movement through electrical or mechanical means.
• Bottom Stamp - Stamp on the bottom of your piece including Dept. 56 Logo, date, name of piece, and copyright.
• Commemorative - An item made to celebrate a specific event, anniversary or holiday.
• Discontinued - An item, other than a building or accessory, that is no longer in production.
• Factory Flaw -  A defect in the piece, usually a chip, crack or firing line occurring during manufacture.
• Greenbook - A reference and secondary market guide for the Department 56 collections.
• Issue - Introduction date or refers to a particular item within a series.
• Limited Edition - An item that is produced in a limited amount or for a limited period of time.
• MIB - Mint in Box.  States that the item is in perfect condition, in it's original box with all pieces and paperwork included.
• Mid-Year Introduction - Introduced every year in May.
• NIB - New in Box.  Means this item is new and unused.
• Primary Market - Market in which items are sold for the first time.
• Retired - Buildings and accessories that are no longer being produced and will not be in the future.
• Secondary Market - Market in which retired and discontinued items are bought, sold, or traded.
• Signed - A piece that has been signed by the artist.
• Starter Sets - A gift set, usually including a couple of houses and accessories to make a complete small display.  Created to encourage new collectors.
• Year of Production - An annual piece that is not limited by number, but which is available on the primary market only during the year produced.

VALUE IN THE MARKETPLACE

The collectibles marketplace is a tricky endeavor.  The values of Department 56 houses and most other collectibles are largely determined by supply and demand.  Ebay has played a huge role in changing the look of this market.  The number of an item produced, the popularity of that item, mistakes and variations, available supply, added value such as signatures and condition all play a role in determining the value of your collectible.

The Greenbook Guide has been the bible of the Department 56 secondary market offering value estimates, historical facts, information and trivia.  2006 is, however, the last year that the authors will be offering this guide.

TIPS ON DISPLAY

The process of setting up our family display is always highly discussed and occasionally, fought over!  With so many villages, accessories, and display additions, as well as your own creativity and imagination, your village can reflect your unique tastes and personality.  Here's a few personal tips:

• Add some natural features to your display such as rocks, twigs, and moss.  This will go a long way to create a beautiful display (and they are free!).
• Layer your village table before setting up your display.  Use books or boxes to create levels or "hills".  This will take some playing around with before you come up with the right combination.  Drape the levels with batting or a white cloth.  I usually cut out holes for my lake, river and trees.
• Add plenty of light to your village.  The use of street lights or perhaps a lit backdrop will add sparkle.  We created a half-moon backdrop that we punched holes in and fed through a string of small christmas lights, then covered the whole piece with black fabric.  The lights glow through the fabric and add a "starry night" look to our village.
• Let it snow!  Create your white foundation and layer it with a combination of snow material.  You can use batting, stuffing, packaged snowflakes, salt, sugar, flour, baking soda and rice.  A fun combination is adding some kosher salt to some flour for a sparkly, icy look.  You could even add a little sparkle glitter, if you are so inclined.
• Try to keep your display away from tiny fingers and pets.  This one is tricky, particularly with cats!  We have come home to find our cat having a snooze in the middle of the village!
• Above all, have fun - create a long, lasting family tradition.

If you are planning to add to your collection this year, please visit Alice in Stitches for our selection of retired Department 56 collectibles.

Please remember to vote for my guide at the bottom of this page.  Thanks for reading & happy holidays!

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