The History of Department 56 Collectibles

For almost 30 years, Department 56 has added spirit and creativity to the holiday season with their ceramic village collectible pieces. The Department 56 corporation has a simple motto: "Holidays. Special Days. Every day." and from those words, it has become the cornerstone for home decoration for all occasions. The start of the Department 56 line began with a walk one snowy evening by a group of friends in Stillwater, Minnesota. On their way to a holiday dinner, the group came upon a town square freshly covered with snow, with its houses festively decorated with wreaths, lights and other traditional seasonal fare. With its quaint charm and old-fashioned feeling, the sight of this village created a powerful image for the friends and they all agreed that they wished they could capture it, and the feelings it inspired, forever. After much discussion and work, Bachman's florist shop in Minneapolis introduced the concept as six hand-painted ceramic, lighted houses known as Department 56, whose name is derived from the designation the shop gave to its wholesale gift imports.

>From its simple beginnings, Department 56 focused on the Christmas season and found a market that was enthusiastically embraced by the public. After only two holidays seasons The Original Snow Village(TM) had to be retired and 12 new pieces were presented in 1979, along with the first line of accessories to go with The Original Snow Village(TM).

Since 1970's, various village themes that the Department 56 Company has introduced include:

> The Dickens Village Series(TM), a group of seven shops and a church to reflect a Victorian-era Christmas, introduced in 1984; > The New England Series(TM), depicting a typical New England town during the holidays, introduced in 1986; > The Alpine Village Series(TM), a village tucked away in a German mountain valley, also introduced in 1986; > The Christmas in the City Series(TM), which captures the "hustle and bustle of Christmas in the city", introduced in 1987; > The Little Town of Bethlehem Series(TM), a village that echoes the ancient markets and homes of the "birthplace of Christ", also introduced in 1987; > The North Pole Series(TM), bringing Santa, his workshop and other parts of his hometown to the Department 56 collection, introduced in 1990.

As each new piece or village is created, Department 56 is always looking ahead and working toward anticipating its customers' needs and wishes. Beyond the traditional Christmas scenes and villages, Department 56 has continued its focus on customer satisfaction by keeping up to date with some of our market's most recognizable name brands, such as Coca-Cola(TM), NASCAR(TM), and Disney(TM). Various village pieces, items and related gift products are available in all of these brand names.

Department 56 has also moved beyond simply Christmas collectibles by expanding its village line to include a year-round series. Seasons Bay(TM) allows collectors to display their pieces throughout the year, incorporating a variety of holidays (including St. Patrick's Day, Valentines Day, Easter and Halloween). Since it's creation in 1998, this "19th-century American resort town" has provided endless opportunities for Department 56 enthusiasts to proudly showcase their collections, no matter what time of year.

Also adding to the collectors' excitement is the introduction of Department 56's newest line of village pieces, containing "long-life cordless lighting". By adding this technology, Department 56 has allowed its collectors to be much more creative when displaying their village pieces. Theses new lighted houses are not confined by cords, which prove awkward and bulky to many Department 56 village owners. Whether the owner wants to display on a table, a shelf, a mantle or even under the tree, the cordless lighting option in new Department 56 pieces will make all of these options possible.

Because of their attention to detail, Department 56 pieces are extremely collectible. They are beloved for their quality and craftsmanship, but these features also make them valuable to a collector. Each year, different collections or parts of them are retired by Department 56, which increases their market value for the collector. As new pieces are introduced to the product line, long time collectors know that not only will these new additions add beauty and charm to their collections, but also will increase in value over time. The mark of any good collectible is how it maintains its value--both in the consumers' eye and in the world of avid collectors. Department 56 has mastered this balance and continues to be the leader in the village collection industry.

Your can purchase Department 56 collectibles at Auctiondude.com.