Soviet Christmas tree decorations - back to the past

Old Soviet Christmas tree decorations are of great interest among collectors of antiques. Such things have now become fashionable and in demand, rare copies can be profitably sold or left as a keepsake to your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Do not think that any Soviet toy has any value. We are talking only about truly unique copies, which were produced in a limited edition and have been well preserved to this day.

Even during the First World War at the beginning of the 20th century, two factories were founded in St. Petersburg and the city of Klin, which were engaged in the production of New Year's Christmas tree decorations. In appearance, the toys were copies of Germanic models that symbolized the Christmas theme: angels, candles, stars, apples, and so on. In the post-revolutionary period, the young Soviet Republic refused to celebrate Christmas and it became forbidden to decorate Christmas trees in order not to follow the traditions of “priest's” holidays. Fir-trees in houses were set up and decorated secretly, and people made Christmas-tree decorations themselves.

And when, in the mid-30s, I. Stalin lifted the bans on New Year's celebrations, the release of New Year's toys became widespread. Soviet New Year decorations bore the imprint of socialist symbols - these were balls with the image of Lenin, red stars, athletes, soldiers, tanks, airplanes, and so on. Most often, these toys were made of cardboard, fabric, foil, cotton wool or papier-mâché. Glass jewelry was very rare, as it was made by hand.

Gradually, a fashion appeared for toys for decorating a Christmas tree in the Soviet Union, the design of toys depended on important milestones and events of that time. So, for example, after the release of the film "Circus", figures of animals and circus artists became popular, and after the flight of the airship in 1937, toys-airships with the inscription "USSR" on board appeared.

Since 1947, New Year has become a general day off and was celebrated with great zeal. They began to make abstraction constructions from glass beads, sometimes recognizable objects were made from such glass beads - a dragonfly, an airplane, a bicycle, a rhombus, a basket. In 1949, after the next anniversary of A.S. Pushkin, sets of toys depicting the characters of Pushkin's fairy tales appeared on sale. Later, heroes from the fairy tales "Aibolit", "Aladdin" and others were added to these characters. This tradition will later be picked up by cartoon characters - Cheburashka, Crocodile Gena and others.

With the onset of the 50s, Christmas tree decorations became less susceptible to Soviet ideology, their variety increased, and the theme changed. During this period, sets of decorations for desktop mini-trees appeared. Such a Christmas tree did not take up much space and it could be assembled or disassembled even by a child. In addition to toys, electric garlands, which were attached to the Christmas tree, began to enjoy popularity. Traditionally, Santa Claus and Snegurochka were installed next to the tree, although sometimes it was possible to do without them.

After the 1956 film "Carnival Night" was released, there were many toys in the form of clocks, whose hands showed "five minutes to twelve". During this period, various industrial glass decorations began to appear.

Factories produced whole series of toy sets based on Russian fairy tales or cartoons. During this period, toys on a clothespin appeared for the first time, with the help of which they were vertically attached to a branch of a Christmas tree, but their number was smaller compared to copies produced on a traditional suspension.

Already in the 60s, foam and plastic, modern for that period, began to be used for the manufacture of Christmas tree decorations., from which balls were made that do not pose a danger to babies, such as glass decorations. However, plastic toys could not replace glass toys, which continued to be especially popular with the people.

In 1966, glass toys made and painted by hand were discontinued. They were completely replaced by conveyor options. The release of toys has become massive. Christmas decorations did not delight buyers with their former variety, their design became more and more formulaic, and small details were no longer drawn and processed as carefully. The era of mass production has come. At this time, shiny tinsel, called "rain", sets of multi-colored flags, sets of plastic or glass balls and figures became quite common.

In the future, toys began to be made not only of glass, but also of foam rubber, aluminum and plastic. Images were applied to the figurines using a stencil method, and a special crumb imitating snow was used as a decorative element. In the 90s, old Soviet toys became familiar, became uninteresting, and were replaced by jewelry of foreign (mainly Chinese) production. A stream of new toys literally flooded the market, and Soviet Christmas tree decorations have become a relic of the past.

Soviet decorations for the Christmas tree have now regained popularity - expensive collectible Christmas tree items are sold for decent money. Experts say: the more exclusive the copy, the more expensive it is, while the artistic component is not taken into account. A Christmas tree toy can be well preserved, have a beautiful design and a clear drawing of details, but its value will be small, since the product was produced in large quantities, according to a single template, at several factories at once. The maximum price of such a copy can reach 1000 rubles. But if any model was released in limited edition or for some reason it was quickly taken out of production, then the price for it rises at least 5 times.

Collectors especially appreciate sets of Christmas tree decorations, which have been preserved in their original packaging. The very first such set was jewelry created based on Pushkin's fairy tales. The cost of this kit can reach 100 thousand rubles. And if a collector does not have a figurine for an existing set, then he can buy it for 10-15 thousand rubles.

Kits for miniature Christmas trees are no less valuable, but they should also be packed in their own boxes. For example, a set of toys produced in 1950 from the Kultigrushka cooperative now costs at least 10 thousand rubles.

Most appreciated are toys that, according to the decision of the artistic council, did not reach store shelves and were made in piece quantities. They were used as samples for matching. It is very difficult to find such rare specimens, but they are also very expensive. Toys made in the 30s or 40s from cardboard with foil are also of rare value. Today, some especially rare specimens are sold at auctions at prices ranging from 10 to 100 thousand rubles.

Modern Christmas tree decorations are mostly made of plastic, so hand-painted glass balls (or even without them) are becoming a luxury item due to their high cost. For this reason, you should keep your old Christmas tree toys or invest in their purchase in order to create a unique and expensive collection, which over time will not only not lose value, but will become even more expensive.

The price of antique Soviet Christmas tree decorations cannot be fixed... It depends on many factors, including how interesting your product is to the buyer. Currently, New Year's attributes are purchased by private collectors, museums, as well as those people who value retro style and want to invest their money in it.

The older the release date of the product and the smaller its circulation, the higher the price. If you want to sell glass beads that were produced in bulk batches, then the maximum that you can help out for them is 300-500 rubles. Very rare hand-painted specimens cost up to 2,000 rubles.

The most popular are figurines of people and animals on clothespins, released in the years 1930-1950. At auctions for such products they can offer 10-12 thousand rubles. At the same time, vegetables, icicles or cones of the same production period will cost no more than 1000 rubles.

Ornaments made of cardboard are much less valuable, although there are exceptions here. And specimens made of polystyrene are considered less valuable. As for toys made from pressed and colored cotton wool, they should be in perfect condition and not have a musty smell. The cost of each copy is estimated individually. The degree of preservation also plays an important role in the price. If the toy has chips, then it can lose up to 90% of its full value, and in the presence of cracks - up to 80%. If the paint on the Christmas tree ball or figurine has worn off, then such a toy will be valued within 40-50% of its market value.

Professional collectors do not need mass consumer goods, they are interested in rare piece production. If a product was released as part of a series, then it will be most appreciated if the entire series is presented for sale.

For information on how to restore Soviet Christmas tree decorations, see the next video.