You may have seen the snow baby figurines that many department stores and gift shops have been selling for years. Babies are shown in a variety of winter and Christmas scenes on these collectible figurines and ornaments. Prices range from less than $10 to more than $100, depending on the model and its condition.
On eBay, Young’s Ltd, and Department 56, you can find price lists for these ornaments. Snowbabies come out every year and are taken away after a certain amount of time. Models that have been taken off the market are often very valuable, especially if the original box is still available.
The first Snowbabies came out in 1986. They were made by Department 56, a Minnesota-based company that makes collectibles. Collectors of Snowbabies have been around since the beginning, which makes the retirement of unique and rare designs even more important to serious collectors.
The first figurines of snow babies
Carouselgifts says that Johann Moll, a German confectioner, made the first Snowbabies in the 1890s as reusable cake toppers. The way they were made was based on Christmas decorations made of sugar in the early 1800s.
Hertwig and Company was the first company to make these figurines, but soon after, other porcelain factories in Germany also started making them.
The Snowbabies were called “Alaska Tots” in a catalogue from 1914. Back then, a dozen of these lovely one-and-a-quarter-inch figures cost 90 cents. Right now, each of these items, which are getting harder and harder to find, costs between $50 and $100, depending on its pose.
Snowbabies are a classic
The classic Snowbabies collection from Department 56 has figurines, music boxes, and water globes that aren’t part of any other special collections. The classic collection started with the first snow babies and is still going strong today.
One example is “Christmas Caravan,” which came out in 2006. If you have a classic Snowbaby, keep it. In a few years, it may be worth a lot more than it is now.
Snowbaby ornaments that are small
Some of the smallest ornaments that the company has ever made are the Miniature Snowbabies. From 1998 to 2004, they were being made. Most of the time, these figurines came out every year during the holiday season.
They came with an ivory ribbon that said “Snowbabies” in gold or silver thread. Each mini-Snowbaby was made to show a feeling of love, friendship, or inspiration and was often hung on a tree with a ribbon. At the moment, miniature Snowbabies cost an average of $35.87.
The Most Wanted Snowbabies
From a collector’s point of view, the oldest and most valuable Snowbabies were made in Germany with great care and in small numbers. For example, the faces on Heubach’s figurines look more like real people than those on figurines made later in Japan and other places.
Also, Snowbabies with blue snow are very valuable because they are harder to find than those with animals, Santa Claus, or porcelain crumbs that look like snow. Even though these collectibles aren’t real Snowbabies in the sense of the brand, they are often sold as such and displayed together because they look so much like them. In some cases, these can be worth a lot more than their name-brand counterparts.
Value of Snow Babies Over Time
You might be wondering if the value of new snowbabies will go up over time. Modern figurines are mass-produced and sold as collectibles. Since only other collectors are interested in them, they often don’t go up in value past what they cost. But there are limited figurines that are made in smaller numbers and special figurines that are made to be collected.
