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I've been selling Department 56 buildings and accessories for a number of years and am often surprised at the enormous collections I come across.  I've bought several collections that included over 100 buildings and hundreds of accessories.  Click here to see some of my current listings from one of these collections. 

Collections usually start with just one building or house, often received as a gift, and grow from there.  Families often look forward to setting up their villages on the same day each year and frequently add pieces each year.

HISTORY
 
The history of Department 56 is fascinating.  In 1971 Ed Bazinet, a giftware buyer for Bachmann's, a large Minneapolis florist and gift shop, was visited by an elderly St. Louis-based potter who made and sold ceramic items he made in his garage.  One of the things he showed Bazinet was a cookie jar shaped like a little Victorian house.  Bazinet asked the potter to modify the cookie jar by cutting out windows and inserting a light so it would glow like a real house and function as a nightlight.  Additional lighted houses soon followed.

The original 6 houses sold for $150 to $200 each and were extremely popular.  Because the potter who designed the original cookie jar/nightlight was unable to produce in large quantities, Bazinet had the designs produced in Taiwan and soon imported 6 ceramic houses that formed the Original Snow Village.  He named the line Department 56, the number assigned to the wholesale gift imports division at Bachmann's.

The twist that made the Christmas houses a hit and spawned a huge company was the creation of entire villages with miniature buildings and accessories of every conceivable description.

Although the pieces have been produced in a number of different countries, the company has always enforced high quality standards, and the workmanship and painting are always high.  One of the things that has distinguished Dept. 56 pieces is their fitted styrofoam containers and printed cardboard sleeves, which protect them from damage.

SERIES

The Christmas houses in the Original Snow Village proved to be very popular and were followed over the years by additional series:

    * Dickens Village
    * New England Village
    * Alpine Village
    * Snowbabies
    * Christmas in the City
    * Little Town of Bethlehem
    * North Pole Village
    * Disney Parks Village
    * Seasons Bay

The entire production of Dept. 56 Christmas villages and accessories now amounts to several thousand different pieces, so many collectors concentrate on one series or, occasionally, one type of piece (like churches or train stations).

OTHER ITEMS

In addition to buildings and accessories, there are also a number of books and collectors clubs devoted to Dept. 56.  Ebay is a good place to find replacement parts and books.

VALUE

Dept. 56 pieces have always been priced to reflect their high quality with prices for some buildings exceeding $200.  For rare and popular pieces, after market prices found on ebay are higher than original prices.  In other cases, ebay prices are much lower than the original prices, allowing collectors to add to their collections at bargain prices (even when the cost of shipping is factored in).

BUYING TIPS

When shopping for Dept. 56 items, it is important to review the seller's ebay feedback to be sure that you are dealing with a high quality seller who doesn't have complaints about slow shipping or undisclosed damage.  It is also wise to buy from dealers who show pictures of the actual piece rather than stock photos.

My Department 56 items can be seen here.