Collecting Santa This Week at LiveAuctionTalk.com

SANTA FE, NM, December 24, 2010 (Press-News.org) He is the moonlight caller who arrives once a year when everyone is sound asleep. From the world of perpetual cold, the snow-frosted traveler in the red suit, white beard and pink cheeks has many faces in many countries.

His Yuletide figure is a welcome site year after year as he's resurrected from the Christmas box one more time. An emissary of love and hope, Santa's appeal is universal and Christmas remains the most important holiday in our nation.

Nearly everyone's basement or attic has some example of Santa somewhere.

It's no surprise people collect these festive effigies from the past. Santa brings back positive memories. Most of us are still kids when it comes to the "big guy".

Santas have an old world charm about them that's hard to resist. The older Santas were made with cotton batting, paper mache, chenille, twigs and die cut scraps. They're reproducing them today but most likely they'll be missing the patina of age that only a vintage Santa has.

It was artist Haddon Sundblom and his 1931 Coca-Cola ads that gave us the jolly, chubby, twinkle-eyed, dude with the rosy cheeks and big smile we've come to know today. Leave it to the advertising industry to refine tradition.

If you're interested in collecting Christmas items, Santas are a good place to start. Many are affordable, easy to find and prevalent.

Age, rarity and condition determine value in this arena.

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Rosemary has provided auction coverage and analysis on thousands-and-thousands of antiques and collectibles sold since the column started 16-years ago. She includes auction sale results to give readers a feel for what their treasures are worth because the power of auctions is simple.

When the bidding stops and the hammer falls, the value of an item is set. The buyer, not the seller, sets the price, and this simple distinction cuts through all the chitchat about what art, antiques and collectibles are really worth. The emphasis is on today's values, not yesterday's wishful thinking.

Each week another new article is posted featuring a particular area of collecting.

• Every article showcases an auction item and how it fits into the big picture.
• A compelling, historical context is provided for the treasures people collect.
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• Current "prices realized" are listed.

Rosemary is the co-author of The Official Price Guide to Fine Art published by Random House and received her training in the trenches working as a professional appraiser and weekly columnist.

Contact:

Rosemary McKittrick
info@LiveAuctionTalk.com