Easter collectibles hard to find
Antique collectors can usually choose a favorite holiday such as Halloween, Christmas or Valentine’s Day to base a collection around, but if you choose Easter collectibles, that will be a much harder task.
Most Easter collectibles reflect springtime themes or celebrations not many of which are Christian. The most sought after collectibles are from the Victorian era and mostly made in Germany. As German immigrants flooded America around the turn of the century, they brought their talents of producing chocolate and candy eggs, chicks and rabbits with them. Most of the collectibles available are the containers that held the candy treasures and they were mainly papier mache or metal candy molds.
You can also find some Japanese made pieces of Easter memorabilia such as celluloid candy containers and small porcelain figurines from after World War II. They are not as detailed as the German pieces but still cute and more affordable. Another item that you could collect would be vintage postcards with Easter greetings on them.
Some clues to dating the German Easter collectibles are found by the marks on the bottom. Pieces marked “German” were generally made before 1918. “German Republic” is the marking from between 1918 and 1933. Anything marked East Germany, German Democratic Republic, West Germany and Federal Republic of Germany are all post World War II. You may find some that say German-U.S. Zone as well. Beautiful reproductions of these collectibles can also be found in the Victorian Trading Company Catalog.
Papier Mache rabbit candy containers with removable heads from between 1900-1930 can sell as high as $100. If you get lucky and find a papier mache rabbit standing on four legs pulling a cart filled with vintage eggs, that figure can be worth three times as much.
Don’t forget the beautiful porcelain Russian Faberge eggs (too expensive for most collectors) and the Ukrainian art of Pysanka, which is beautiful detailed folk art painting on real eggs of all sizes or on wooden eggs. Happy collecting!
HHJ News
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