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mas Past Shines

Heubach Santa
This Santa (right) was created by the
Heubach porcelain company in Lichte,
Germany, in the mid-1800s. The name
“Heubach” carries weight among holiday
collectors for its rarity and its lifelike
features. They made porcelain doll heads,
figurines, and piano baby specialties.
Known for the the personality shown
in Heubach Santas, these and other goods
gained major attention when the full line
of Heubach porcelain products was on
display at the World Exhibition in Paris in
1900. Their holiday figures can feature
crepe-paper or papier-mâché bodies and
clothing. Heubachs are quite valuable.
The Heubach company is still in
business today, after having gone
through several generations
and then was purchased by its
employees in 1994. Learn
more Here.

Erzgebirge Wooden Toys
There is no place more famous for its wooden toy-making than Erzgebirge, Germany’s Ore
Mountain Region of Saxony, which sits between the border of Germany and the Czech Republic.
After the mining for silver and precious metals began to dry up in the 1700s, the villagers found
a new solution to poverty and unemployment — plenty of lumber trees across the landscape meant
that the villagers could practice wood crafting as a new source of income.
Another advantage to this new skill was that it could be perfected by people of all ages, with
Erzgebirge wooden figures made by families who passed their wood crafting methods and traditions
from generation to generation. This beautiful example (left) is older and all hand-crafted and a
treasured offering to any collector.

Holiday Shopping Guide December 202 3 5