Collecting Vintage Santas

As I write this article, it is two weeks before Thanksgiving but everywhere I went today, people were putting up Christmas decorations.  My mother collects snowmen for her display at Christmas; some folks like to display nativities or their collection of nutcrackers.  If you like to collect vintage Santas there is a wide variety to choose from.

Santas of the late 1800’s into the early 1920’s were usually depicted as a tall lanky old man or a somewhat creepy looking elf!  During the Civil War an artist for Harper’s Weekly depicted Santa as an elf in a tan coat that was pro-Union!  He continued to do illustrations of Santa for over thirty years, changing the color of his coat from tan to red.

Coca-Cola had a lot to do with shaping the chubby jolly Santa that most of us are accustomed to.  In 1930 artist Fred Mizen painted a picture of a department store Santa drinking a bottle of Coke.  This artwork was featured in an ad for the world’s largest soda fountain in Missouri and was later printed in The Saturday Evening Post and an icon was born!  In 1942, Sprite boy the elf appeared in ads with Coca-Cola Santa which is interesting since the drink called Sprite wasn’t introduced until the 1960’s.

Perhaps the most affordable and popular Santas are the ones from the late 40’s through the 60’s.  There were lots of plastic and flocked Santas, Santa ornaments, Santa shaped light bulbs and stuffed Santas.  Many older Santas are covered in chenille; papier-mâché and die cut scraps.  Beware; there are lots of reproductions out there also.  If it looks too good to be true, it probably is…

Probably the most expensive and collectible Santas are any large or mechanical Santas that were used as department store displays.  I remember the vintage plastic Santa in his red sleigh being pulled by brilliant white plastic reindeer (minus Rudolph) on my grandmother’s dining room table at Christmas. 

Make sure to check out thrift stores, flea markets and antique shops for vintage Santas.  They make a great display on a sideboard or mantle during the holidays.  You might even get lucky and find one of those late 50’s early 60’s stuffed elves in red or green that” The Elf on the Shelf” story was based on.  Those are highly sought after these days as well. 

I love to see vintage Christmas Santas, Shiny Brite ornaments, aluminum Christmas trees and Japanese elves and Christmas figurines.  Napco, Inarco and other mid century modern Japanese factories turned out some adorable Santa figurines and candle climbers.

Happy Collecting!

Jillinda Falen has been buying and selling antiques for over 40 years and is a licensed REALTOR and estate liquidation specialist.  You can contact her through the Houston Home Journal or via email at jcfalen@gmail.com