So What Is Dept 56 on eBay?

This is the story of a company's small department that became an independent giant. It began with the Bachman's Floral company of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, who started a wholesale gift importing department - Department 56. Then in 1992, Dept. 56 was purchased by Forstman, Little Co. for an amazing $270 million dollars. Now, Dept 56 on eBay is the next stage in the evolution of this growing little firm.

Department 56, commonly known as D56, is a company that produces many lines of gift ware and collectibles. You probably already know of D56, as anytime you walk into a card shop, gift shop or department store, especially around the holiday season, you've probably seen D56 displays of beautiful crafted porcelain houses. Those that haven't come across D56 before will see villages full of houses, trees, figurines, piles of snow and usually good old Santa Claus. D56’s first product, the Snow Village, was released in 1977, and started the d56 line of collectibles. The original D56 Snow Village had six houses and was originally made of ceramic, not porcelain. The D56 gift lines continue to be made of ceramic today. If happen to look at the bottom of any gifts created by Dept. 56, you will see the title of the item and the year it was designed. Funnily enough, at the time of their introduction, they were not considered a collectible, but rather a Christmas decoration - but now they are the hottest collectible on eBay.com.

Gifts for People with Deep Pockets

So what is hot at the moment. If you have a quick look at eBay, one item that is listed is "Dept. 56 Snow village, houses & accessories", which is a collectible snow village in 26 pieces in their original boxes. But wait till you hear how much they are asking. $3,500!

About the Author

James Robinson is an Australian writer, broadcaster and commentator. He lives in the world famous Blue Mountains of Sydney.

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