Vintage Christmas balls. Vintage Russian New Year toys and crafts

People post photos of antique Christmas tree decorations and tell stories of how they appeared in their homes. Some of these toys are most likely found in your homes.
Our family has a small collection of old Christmas tree decorations. They came to us in different ways: some were inherited, some were gifts from friends, some were found at flea markets. But this Father Frost and Snow Maiden probably have the most interesting story of how they ended up under our Christmas tree. One day, my daughter and grandmother went to visit an old neighbor. She started sorting out all sorts of unnecessary things, took out this Santa Claus from the mezzanine and threw him into a pile of garbage to be thrown away. My daughter took it out and said that she would take it home because she really, really needed it. Our delight knew no bounds - we had never had a grandfather like him! We decided that he would be sad alone and we urgently needed to look for his granddaughter. For several weeks we rushed around various flea markets in search of the right Snow Maiden, and now, when we were almost in despair, she was finally found - lying so unfortunate in a box with assorted dishes and broken records. We immediately realized that it was She, the only granddaughter! Of course it was bought and solemnly brought to my grandfather. Now they will not melt away from each other and their life slowly flows among the Christmas tree decorations - their peers. And we are very grateful to them for choosing our house to live in, we hope, for many, many years! What a story! Happy New Year, everyone! These New Year's toys were given to me by my beloved grandmother. Now she is a twice-great-grandmother and turns 80 in January! All my Christmas trees from childhood were decorated with these toys... The oldest is a bird made of cotton wool, the most patriotic is a ball with a red star, the most fabulous are toys on clothespins (a cheerful clown, the Snow Maiden in a sparkling outfit and not at all scary Baba Yaga) . And of course, New Year's watches, which, it turns out, many people still have... Our family values ​​these toys very much, despite the fact that over time they lose their shine. They are from the past and preserve the spirit of those distant times. These toys have soul! I still believe in New Year's miracles!
Perhaps no one knows the full history of these toys. I remember how my mother was decorating the Christmas tree, and I watched, climbing with my feet on the sofa and holding my breath, I was terribly worried. After all, if a thin thread breaks, the toy will turn into a myriad of multi-colored fragments. But the thread, in my memory, never broke. A lot of time has passed since then. The cool pine needles with the smell of resin were forced out of the house by a synthetic rival. And the colorful plastic balls are no longer afraid of any fall. But in the closet, under the heap of all this holiday tinsel, there is still a treasured box of old toys. “Throw away this old stuff,” my mother advises every year when she comes across a box. – We accumulated it in our first marriage. Anyway, you don’t hang it on the Christmas tree anymore.” She’s right, of course, I haven’t hung it for a long time. But a thin thread of childhood memories still keeps these toys in the house. My husband has an old grandmother. One day we went to visit her, and she asked for help in dismantling old things. On the mezzanine, my husband and I found an old plywood suitcase. With great difficulty we opened it (the locks were faulty) and... lo and behold! There, covered with tissue paper, lay several Christmas tree decorations! It turned out that she bought these toys in Moscow when she went to some courses to study. Glass toys were a luxury at that time, especially here in the far north. The housemates came to admire them! When grandma's children were little, Christmas tree decorations took their place on the tree. But for the last fifty years they have been quietly lying in a suitcase on the highest shelf. And now we hung them on our Christmas tree!
In our apartment there are 2 things that were passed down to us from our grandmother: a toy and a mirror. For me, both of these things are extremely beautiful and valuable. Next door to my grandmother's house was the house of her older friend, whom she helped with housework. And being already in a weakened state, for kindness and support, a friend, during her lifetime, gave my grandmother several things dear to her heart. The New Year's toy looks bulky, but inside it is hollow, fragile and consists of 2 glued parts. Before me, it was preserved in a disintegrated form with a frayed ribbon. I once replaced the string and connected both parts together. On the front of the toy there is a place for some kind of image, the presence of which the parents no longer remember. For me and my family, beads have become the main decoration of the New Year tree for many years. I inherited these beads from my grandparents, who died when I was about 7 years old. They were bought by my grandmother when my father was not yet 10 years old, and he is now 53 years old, so it is also the oldest thing in our house. I am sure that my children will treasure these beads as carefully as I do.
My grandparents live in Ukraine. I visit them rarely... maybe once every 3 years and usually in the summer. But one day I decided to make a New Year’s gift and come to them for the holiday. When I saw this toy on the Christmas tree, I simply could not contain my emotions. I didn’t even think that our leaders were once captured on toys! On one ball there were 3 personalities at once: Vladimir Ilyich, Joseph Vissarionovich and Leonid Ilyich. Because I teach history at school, so I immediately began begging for this toy from old people, emphasizing that the Christmas tree in a history class must be filled with history. But I was told that this was a long-standing gift from friends and gifts are not re-gifted. I exchanged this toy for a promise to come in the summer. The exchange took place and I kept my word. New Year's bunny. Cheerful clown. Real retro 50s.
When I was in the 2nd grade (now I’m 49 years old), our school held a competition at the New Year’s tree for the best New Year’s costume, I was in a snowflake costume, sewn by my mother from gauze and New Year’s beads. I thought that my costume was the most beautiful, but after summing up the results of the competition, my outfit went unnoticed. I was very upset. My teacher noticed this. She took two New Year's toys from the school tree: a small yellow teapot and a girl in a flower costume and gave them to me, saying that my costume was very beautiful. I was delighted and very happy and satisfied, my mood immediately lifted. This was in 1967, I still remember my kind teacher, whose name was Zoya Stepanovna, and throughout all these years I have taken great care of these New Year’s toys, they are the most precious to me!
The story of our toys is funny and a little touching. They were purchased by my grandfather, or rather exchanged for a couple of packs of cigarettes and a “bubble” :) These are the first toys of our family. This story is also funny because for the birth of my mother, my grandfather gave my grandmother not flowers and jewelry, but a Christmas tree and New Year’s toys! Because mom was born on New Year's Eve. So these “family jewels” have been “protected” for three generations.
I had a lot of Christmas tree decorations! Boxes with glass snow maidens, sets of cones, balls, garlands... And every New Year they bought me more and more. But I wanted exactly the ones in the photo! But we didn’t have them in our stores! But my girlfriend had exactly these! Her mother raised her alone and did not particularly spoil her, and therefore she had few toys. Of course, I shared my toys with her, gave them away for good, changed them. But these: 2 flashlights, a nesting doll and a chicken on clothespins, she didn’t give it to me and didn’t even want to change! How I wanted them! Every New Year, Sveta hung them on her tree, and I came and looked at them with admiration. They were shiny, over time the toys darkened and faded, but then, in childhood, they were very beautiful! A few years later, when we were already in high school, a friend brought them to me for New Year and gave them to me. It was the best gift! Now I always hang them on my Christmas tree, and my girlfriend comes to celebrate the New Year with me.
I got these toys from my grandmother. Unfortunately, half were broken. But there are still 20 pieces left. I decorate my favorite little Christmas tree with them. When friends of my parents come to visit, they always say that some special “energy” emanates from my Christmas tree :)
We got this old Christmas tree toy from our grandmother; she was dismantling the mezzanine about 20 years ago and decided to give us this ball. We try to celebrate the New Year as often as possible with our grandmother in the village. The paint on many toys has already worn off and they have a special “vintage” smell from the past. Surprisingly, none of the many relatives buy modern toys for grandma’s Christmas tree; everyone wants to see these: unusual, worn-out ones that have gone through various events together with grandma’s large family. This Snow Maiden was left without Santa Claus, but surrounded by toys similar to her.
These three balls seem to me to be the oldest of those Christmas tree decorations that have been preserved in our family. Although, to be honest, I don't know how old they are. The balls are made of papier-mâché and consist of two halves. The halves can be separated and a small object can be placed inside. I remember these balls all my life, they always hung on my grandmother’s tree, and my brother and I raced to look for them on the tree in order to quickly open them and find something interesting inside (usually it was candy). Alas, my grandmother is no longer in the world and I did not think in time to ask where these balls came from. I only remember that they are German. Now the balls are a little cracked, they had to be glued several times, but they still decorate the tree, and now my daughter is looking for something interesting inside. Once upon a time it was a set of gingerbread cookies with reindeer. Deer glow in the dark, 35 years have passed, only one remains, the last one. Let's take care of him!
I am very proud that I have such toys in my collection, I take great care of them, but nevertheless I use them - I hang them on my Christmas tree every year, because it would be a sin to hide such beauty in a velvet box! And what makes me especially happy is that the wonderful cardboard decorations, embossed on mother-of-pearl paper, have been very well preserved. I liked them the most because I could look at them for a long time, trace them on paper with a pencil, and also (most importantly) - they could not be broken! I have a special funny story associated with these cardboard toys - once, when I was little, my parents decided to give me a surprise - they set up and decorated the Christmas tree to their taste with elegant inflated balls and glass fairy-tale characters while I was sleeping. But in the morning I burst into tears when I didn’t see my favorite cardboard fish, chickens, and especially my favorite sailboat on the tree! The parents were confused and could not understand what they had done and how they had brought their child to tears! Then, of course, together we hung my favorite figures on the tree - and after that everything immediately fell into place! Childhood memories are what these cardboard, simple, but very dear to my heart decorations store. This is always my favorite toy on the Christmas tree since childhood, when I really wanted to have a dog. She is probably even older than my grandmother. Unfortunately, I don’t know how she came to us, and my grandmother no longer remembers. It is stored very carefully and is always hung in the most visible place.
This toy hangs on our Christmas tree every year, since my early childhood! And every year, with pleasant nostalgia and even that same childish feeling of a fairy tale, I hang it on the Christmas tree, sit next to it and looking at it, I remember the amazing fairy tales that my parents told me on behalf of this funny old forest man! This toy is incredibly dear to me and my whole family! The fact is that my grandfather gave this toy to my mother. Then my mom and dad were just dating and they decided to celebrate the New Year together! While decorating the Christmas tree, dad dropped this luxurious toy and it broke into pieces... Dad spent the next day looking for the same decoration and found it! Mom was very happy, but they didn’t say anything to grandfather. Since then, this toy has been hanging on every one of our Christmas trees. Mom says that this crystal flower blossomed with her and dad’s love.
These skates have been passed down from generation to generation to every woman in my family. My great-great and many times “great” grandfather brought them from Finland, tied a wedding ring to them and proposed to my great-great and several times “great” grandmother! I got this toy from my great-grandmother. She made it from scrap materials. Because there was nothing before. This was after the war. Of course we restored it a little. Because this is a great memory. And even though there are thousands of modern toys in stores now, for me there is nothing more valuable than this! The toy is almost a century old!
Some time ago, balls with bows came into fashion and my mother decided to throw out all the old toys. I barely saved it, but there are only a few of these left at home, I’m posting them for your consideration. As a child, my sister and I had a favorite pastime for the New Year: one would make a wish for some kind of toy, and the other would ask leading questions about it and try to guess what kind of toy she had in mind... Now, of course, it seems like a funny game, but then it was very interesting, because Christmas trees They always put large ones under the ceiling and you really had to look for toys on it.
“Call me lady, kiss my fingers” - the words of Veronica Dolina come to mind when I listen to my grandmother’s story about her short and tender romance with a Polish man with the funny name Leszek. It was somewhere in a small town, I think it was Biala Podlaska. Granny, with a hazy smile on her face, recalls how before the celebration of Catholic Christmas, he, blushing with embarrassment, told her for the first time in private “Dobzhe day, lady,” kissed her hand and handed her a small bouquet made in the form of a Christmas tree decoration. “What a wonderful Polish tradition it is to kiss women’s hands! What a pity that our men have forgotten how to do this!” - she sighs. I know that my grandmother keeps the memories of this novel in the most secret corners of her heart and does not tell anyone about them except me. But every time, on New Year’s Day, she takes this bouquet out of a large box and hangs it on the tree. She looks at me and we smile at each other.
This sweet New Year's toy was given to me by my godmother 11 years ago! It was terribly cold outside and my godmother and I were returning from the park, where we rode on ice slides and made snowmen! It’s very strange, but in 20-degree frost I desperately wanted ice cream! I begged my godmother for a long time to buy me “Ice”, but she won’t do anything! I started crying! And then my godmother gave me this toy, which she bought in a subway passage! I was very happy! Grandmother's inheritance.

With age, there is a desire to remember childhood, to plunge into nostalgia, to touch associations that will awaken bright and pleasant emotions. For some reason, the New Year in the style of the times of the USSR remains a bright and desirable holiday in the memory of those over thirty, despite its certain simplicity, scarcity and unpretentiousness of festive table dishes.

The trend to celebrate in the manner of yesteryear is only growing. And a party in the American style is no longer so inspiring to contemporaries; you want to decorate fragrant pine needles with old Christmas tree decorations, and place cotton wool, nuts and tangerines under it.

Christmas tree variety

The Christmas tree was decorated with an abundance of assorted decorations. Particularly noteworthy are the antique Christmas tree decorations on clothespins, which allow them to be placed anywhere in the tree, even at the top or in the middle of the branch. This is Santa Claus, Snow Maiden, Snowman, Squirrel, pine cone, moon or lantern. Toys of a later version are all kinds of cartoon characters, funny clowns, nesting dolls, rockets, airships, cars.

Icicles, cones, vegetables, houses, clocks, little animals, stars, flat and voluminous, beads together with cotton wool, flags and garlands of small light bulbs created a unique holiday composition. The one who decorated the Christmas tree had a considerable responsibility - after all, the fragile product would shatter into fragments if moved incorrectly, so it was a privilege to manage the preparations for New Year's Eve.

From Toy Story

The tradition of decorating the New Year's tree came to us from Europe: it was believed that edible items - apples, nuts, candies, placed near the tree, were able to attract abundance in the new year.

Vintage Christmas tree decorations from Germany, like current ones, form a trend in the field of New Year's decorations. In those years, fir cones covered with gold, silver-plated stars, and figurines of angels made of brass were very fashionable. The candles were small, in metal candlesticks. They were placed on the branches with the flame facing outward, and were lit exclusively on Christmas night. In past times, they had a huge cost per set; not everyone could afford them.

The toys of the 17th century were inedible and consisted of gilded pine cones, objects in foil with a base of tin wire, cast in wax. In the 19th century, glass toys appeared, but they were available only to rich families, while middle-income people decorated the Christmas tree with beaten cotton, fabric and plaster figurines. Below you can see what the old Christmas tree decorations looked like (photo).

In Russia there were not enough raw materials for the production of glass-blowing jewelry, and imports were expensive. The first were the ancient Christmas tree athletes, skiers in funny sweatshirts, skaters, pioneers, polar explorers, wizards in oriental outfits, Santa Clauses, traditionally with a big beard, dressed “in Russian,” forest animals, fairy-tale characters, fruits, mushrooms, berries, easy to make, which were gradually supplemented and transformed before another, more cheerful variety appeared. Dolls with multi-colored skin symbolized the friendship of peoples. Carrots, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers delighted with their natural colors.

Grandfather Frost became a popular long-liver in many countries - a weighted figure made of cotton wool on a stand, which was later purchased at a flea market - with a face made of polyethylene and other materials. His fur coat gradually changed: it could be made of foam, wood, fabric or plastic.

In 1935, the ban on the official celebration was lifted, and the production of New Year's toys was launched. The first of them were symbolic: some depicted state attributes - the hammer and sickle, flags, photos of famous political figures, others became displays of fruits and animals, airships, gliders and even the image of Khrushchev's time - corn.

Since the 1940s, toys have appeared depicting household items - teapots, samovars, lamps. During the war years, they were made from production waste - tin and metal shavings, wire in limited quantities: tanks, soldiers, stars, snowflakes, cannons, airplanes, pistols, paratroopers, houses and what not you will find when you take out a bag of old Christmas tree decorations from the attic.

At the fronts, New Year's needles were decorated with spent cartridges, shoulder straps, made from rags and bandages, paper, and burnt out light bulbs. At home, ancient Christmas tree decorations were made from available materials - paper, fabric, ribbons, eggshells.

In 1949, after Pushkin’s anniversary, they began to produce figurines of characters from his fairy tales, to which other fairy-tale heroes were subsequently added: Aibolit, Little Red Riding Hood, Dwarf, Little Humpbacked Horse, Crocodile, Cheburashka, fairy-tale houses, cockerels, nesting dolls, and fungi.

Since the 50s, toys for miniature Christmas trees have appeared on sale, which could be conveniently placed in a tiny apartment and quickly taken apart: these are cute bottles, balls, animals, fruits.

At the same time, ancient Christmas tree decorations on clothespins were now common: birds, animals, clowns, musicians. Sets of 15 girls in national costumes were popular, promoting the friendship of peoples. From that time on, everything that could be attached to the tree “grew”, and even sheaves of wheat.

In 1955, in honor of the release of the Pobeda car, a miniature appeared - a New Year's decoration in the form of a glass car. And after the flight into space, astronauts and rockets glow on the needles of the Christmas trees.

Until the 60s, antique Christmas tree decorations made of glass beads were in fashion: tubes and lanterns strung on wire, sold in sets, long beads. Designers are experimenting with shape and color: figurines with relief, elongated pyramids, icicles, and cones “sprinkled” with snow are popular.

Plastic is beginning to be actively used: transparent balls with butterflies inside, figures in the form of spotlights, polyhedrons.

From the 70-80s they began to produce toys made from foam rubber and plastic. Christmas and country themes turned out to be dominant. Cartoon characters have been updated: Winnie the Pooh, Carlson, Umka. Subsequently, mass production of Christmas tree decorations became the norm. Fluffy snowball has become fashionable, and when hung, it is not always possible to see the rest of the decorations on the tree.

Closer to the 90s, bright and shiny balls, bells, houses are in the lead in production, and in them the trend of fashion is more felt, and not the movement of the human soul, as before the 60s.

There is a possibility that in the future, faceless glass balls will fade into the background, and the old ones will acquire the value of antiques.

DIY cotton wool toys

Factory pressed cotton toys were produced on a cardboard basis and were called “Dresden”. Afterwards they improved somewhat and began to be covered with a paste diluted with starch. This surface protected the figurine from dirt and rapid wear.

Some made them themselves. When the whole family got together, people created Christmas tree decorations using a wire frame and painted them themselves. Today it is not difficult to recreate such ancient Christmas tree decorations from cotton wool with your own hands. To do this you will need: wire, cotton wool, starch, egg white, a set of gouache paints with brushes and a little patience.

First, you can draw the desired figures on paper, draw their base - a frame, which is then made of wire. The next step is to brew the starch (2 tablespoons per 1.5 cups of boiling water). Take the cotton wool into strands and wrap it around the frame elements, moistening it with paste and securing it with threads.

Without wire, using cotton wool and glue, you can make balls and fruits, and also use a paper base instead of metal. When the toys are dry, they should be covered with a new layer of cotton wool and soaked in egg white, which allows you to work with thin layers of cotton wool, penetrates into inaccessible areas and prevents the base material from sticking to your fingers.

The layers of cotton wool need to dry well, after which they are ready for painting with gouache; you can draw details, accessories on them, and insert faces from pictures. This is exactly what ancient Christmas tree toys made of cotton wool were like - light enough to hang them on a threaded thread or place them on branches.

Snowman

Everyone is familiar with the old Christmas tree toy Snowman made of cotton wool from the 1950s, which was later made of glass and is currently a collector's item. This retro style clothespin ornament makes a great Christmas gift.

But, as already mentioned, you can create old cotton Christmas tree decorations in memory of past years yourself. For this purpose, they first make a wire frame, and then wrap it with cotton wool, periodically dipping their fingers into the glue. The body is first wrapped in newspaper or toilet paper, also soaked in paste or PVA. Wadded clothing - felt boots, mittens, fringe - is attached on top of the paper base.

To begin with, it’s a good idea to dip the material in water with aniline dyes and dry it. The face is a separate stage: it is made from salt dough, fabric or another method, after which they are made convex, glued to the figure and dried.

Toys created independently will add an unforgettable flavor to the Christmas tree, because they are valuable not for their beauty, but for their originality. Such an item can be presented as a souvenir or added to the main present.

Balls

Balls were also popular in the old days. But even those of them that have survived to this day, albeit with dents and hollows, have a unique charm and still attract admiring glances: they concentrate the light of the garlands, thanks to which they create a fabulous illumination. Among them there are even phosphorus ones that glow in the dark.

Clock balls, reminiscent of a New Year's dial, were placed on the tree in a visible or central place. The arrows on them always showed five minutes to midnight. Such ancient Christmas tree decorations (see photos in the review) were placed just below the top, after the most important decoration - the star.

Antique Christmas tree decorations made of papier-mâché were also extremely good: these are balls of two halves that can be opened and you can find a delicacy inside them. Children love such unexpected surprises. When hung among others or as a garland, these balloons add interesting variety and make for a nice mystery or gift discovery event that will be remembered for a long time.

You can make a papier-mâché ball yourself using napkins, paper, PVA glue, first preparing the mass for its layer-by-layer formation. To do this, the paper is soaked for a couple of hours, wrung out, mixed with glue, and then placed in half on the inflatable ball. When the layer becomes dense to the touch, it can be decorated with ribbons and beads, painted with paints, and various applications can be glued on. But the most interesting thing is the gift hidden inside a peculiar box without a lock. Both children and adults will be truly delighted by such original packaging!

Beads

Ancient Christmas tree decorations in the form of beads and large bugles were placed on the middle or lower branches. Particularly fragile specimens still have their original appearance due to the fact that they were carefully stored and passed on to their grandchildren from their grandmothers. Bicycles, airplanes, satellites, birds, dragonflies, handbags, and baskets were also made from glass beads.

A series of oriental-themed toys, released in the late 40s and retaining their popularity, featured characters such as Hottabych, Aladdin, and oriental beauties. The beads were distinguished by their filigree shapes, hand-painting, and were reminiscent of Indian national patterns. Similar jewelry in oriental and other styles remained in demand until the 1960s.

Cardboard toys

Embossed cardboard decorations on mother-of-pearl paper are wonderful Christmas tree decorations using ancient technology, made in the form of figures of animals, fish, chickens, deer, huts in the snow, children and other characters on a peaceful theme. Such toys were bought in the form of sheets in a box, cut out and painted independently.

They glow in the dark and give the tree a unique charm. It seems that these are not simple figures, but real “stories”!

Rain

What kind of rain was used to decorate the Soviet Christmas tree? It was a vertical, flowing sheen, far from the voluminous and fluffy sheen of modern specimens. If there were empty spaces between the branches, they tried to fill them with cotton wool, garlands and sweets.

Some time later, horizontal rain appeared. Under the tree it could be partially replaced with foam plastic.

Paper toys

Many antique DIY Christmas tree decorations - plastic, paper, glass - were created by hand, so they looked very cute and charming. To replicate this masterpiece, you need very little time and materials.

A cardboard ring (for example, left over from tape) is decorated on the inside with an accordion made of colored paper, and on the outside with glitter and snowballs. The accordion can be of different colors or with inclusions, tabs, for which you should bend a rectangle of paper of a different color and place it inside the ring.

You can make relief balls from holiday cards according to the following scheme: cut out 20 circles, draw full-size isosceles triangles on them on the wrong side, each side of which will serve as a fold line. Bend the circles outward along the marked lines. Glue together the bent edges of the first five circles with the front side facing outward - they will form the top part of the ball, another five will form the bottom of the ball, and the remaining ten will form the middle part of the ball. Finally, combine all the parts with glue, threading a thread through the top.

You can also make three-color balls: cut them out of colored paper and stack circles, placing two colors next to each other, and fasten them along the edges with a stapler. Then glue the edges of each circle as follows: the lower part with the left “neighbor”, and its part at the top with the right one. In this case, the plates from the stack will straighten out along the connected points, forming a volume. The ball is ready.

Toys made from other materials

The following materials open up the field for imagination:

• figures made of cardboard and buttons (pyramids, patterns, men);
• felt, the solid edges of which allow you to cut out any parts and bases for toys;
• used disks (in their own form, with a photo pasted in the center, in the form of an element - mosaic chips);
• collect beads on a wire, give it the desired silhouette - a heart, an asterisk, a ring, add it with a ribbon - and such a pendant is ready to decorate the branches;
• egg tray (moisten, knead like dough, form and dry figures, paint).

To make ball toys from threads: inflate a rubber ball, coat it with thick cream, dilute PVA glue in water (3:1), put the yarn of the desired color in a bowl with the glue solution. Then begin to wrap the inflated ball with thread (it can be replaced with thin wire). Upon completion, leave it to dry for a day, after which the rubber ball is carefully deflated and pulled out through the threads. You can decorate such a toy with glitter to suit your taste.

Of course, the most simple, but interesting way to create and transform existing balls is to decorate them with artificial or natural materials: wrap the ball in fabric, add ribbon, cover it with acorns, wrap it with a cord with rhinestones, dress it in wire with beads, attach beads, stones and tinsel with syringe with glue.

Where to buy vintage toys

Today you can find antique Christmas tree decorations made of cotton wool or tinsel in the style of yesteryear at city flea markets. As an option, you can consider online auctions and online stores offering items from the USSR era. For some sellers, such jewelry is generally considered to be antiques and is part of a collection.

Today you can find ancient Christmas tree decorations in almost any city (Ekaterinburg, Moscow, St. Petersburg, etc.). Of course, many sellers will offer products of the past, recreated using modern technologies, but even among them there will be examples that can surprise.

During the New Year holidays, it is worth paying attention to exhibitions of antique Christmas tree decorations, which are often organized in museums. The spectacle looks like a hall with a huge Christmas tree covered with Soviet-era toys from the top to the floor. On the walls there are stands with New Year's copies of the past, from which you can trace the entire history of their transformation and even take photographs. During the New Year holidays, admission to some museums is free.

And when there is a live Christmas tree in the house, decorated with toys from Soviet times, lights are shining and garlands are hanging or candles are burning, all that remains is to turn on your favorite film “The Irony of Fate” and the whole family sits around the festive table, and also present your loved ones with New Year’s souvenirs of your own making.

hunter201 01/12/2014 - 19:32

I often came across advertisements for the sale of old Christmas tree decorations, including on Avito. Well, simply stunning prices.

Below I will try to post a photo of the old Christmas tree decorations I have, I ask knowledgeable people to tell me - are they worth anything? (After New Year’s Eve I want a freebie! 😊)

mazzer 12.01.2014 - 19:48

Of these, I only have a traffic light left (made in the style of the penultimate one), I personally value them and will not sell them for any price 😊

hunter201 01/12/2014 - 19:55

Interesting - I insert new photos, but the old ones disappear somewhere.... 😞

In the second photo from the bottom, the inscription on the edges is “Beijing”. If I remember correctly, my father-in-law served in China in 1949-1952. It is quite possible that this toy was from those years, although I can’t say for sure - no one is alive anymore...

Alexander - 01/12/2014 - 20:15

Russian With Chinese - brothers on the CENTURY. They used to sing.
AP.

pakon 01/12/2014 - 20:19

They were the same. Every year the collection melted and melted like snow in spring. They are fragile and the inner layer has crumbled.
Now the balls are from IKEA

Griggen 01/12/2014 - 20:49

The prices at which old toys are on Avito do not mean that they are bought at these prices)

As far as I know, collectors value antique Christmas tree decorations with Soviet symbols, as well as technical ones - the shape of airplanes, locomotives, astronauts, etc.

hunter201 01/13/2014 - 11:12

Let's wait for more opinions! 😊

pakon 01/13/2014 - 11:43

Griggen
Collectors value antique Christmas tree decorations with Soviet symbols, as well as technical ones

RTDS 01/13/2014 - 11:46

hunter201
So I decided to ask the forum members - is this a myth or reality?

Who knows... I wouldn’t give a penny for them - I’m not a collector, I don’t feel nostalgia, and most of the old Soviet toys look like garbage... (I’m not specifically talking about yours - in general, because they are shabby due to age , the paint darkens and rubs off, etc.)

mageric 01/13/2014 - 13:11

I don’t know the topic, but if there are collectors for this product, then the prices can be mind-blowing. Well, for example, for the flight of the first cosmonaut, they released a toy in the shape of an astronaut. And let’s say they released 1000 pieces. Or even 100 thousand. You can imagine how much a connoisseur will pay for such a treasure.

RTDS 01/13/2014 - 14:26

mageric
Well, for example, for the flight of the first cosmonaut, they released a toy in the shape of an astronaut. And let’s say they released 1000 pieces. Or even 100 thousand. You can imagine how much a connoisseur will pay for such a treasure.

In Soviet times, events such as the flight of the first cosmonaut were accompanied by various souvenir products produced in huge quantities... So that any collective farmer could buy it in his general store. There could be no talk of any “1000 pieces”...

mageric 01/13/2014 - 14:34

You know better, I’m telling you, I’m a zero in this topic.

hunter201 01/13/2014 - 15:51

pakon
Their poor children, there are a lot of toys, but most likely they don’t decorate the Christmas tree))))

“Poor children” don’t experience any shortage; on the contrary, they don’t know which toy to hang up and which one. leave, there are so many of them. But these toys are not used.
The topic is not aimed at the detriment of children, there is no need to make monsters out of grandfathers and parents, there is purely commercial interest here

BLIND MOLE 01/13/2014 - 15:59

"Wait forty years - it will be a rarity." Children grew up who played with these toys; when you are over 40, you increasingly want to remember your “golden childhood.” Therefore, they are already appreciated by those who collect and who are nostalgic. Example - at a flea market you can buy for 10, 15, 20 rubles. in thrift stores it will also be 50, 100, 150. So are they valued?)))

mageric 01/13/2014 - 20:22

tixaja 01/14/2014 - 01:46

So I’m wondering... how much for 😊 toys are never superfluous. I’m not going to sell them, I’m doing it for myself.

hunter201 01/14/2014 - 02:00

mageric
How many toys do you have in total ((pieces))? How much do you want to get for them wholesale?

This situation with prices is already familiar to me - about 2 years ago I posted a photo of an old shortwave (seemingly 😊) radio station, and asked a question - how much could it cost? And I started receiving emails asking me to sell it and for me to name the price! Well, I laughed, and I still have the radio station 😊 And now it’s waiting for its turn, I’ll post it again soon 😊

here are all the toys from this box

pakon 01/14/2014 - 07:53

hunter201
"Poor children" do not experience any shortage

Olga Nikolaevna drove onto the highway, overtaking peasant carts. The cold men, warming themselves by walking and clapping their hands in large leather mittens, walked next to their sleighs, urging the frost-covered shaggy horses carrying sellable oats into the city.

“We also need to buy something for the holiday,” noted the coachman Rodivonych, “they are bringing oats to sell.”

“Look, Ivanovna is taking the cow to the city to sell,” Rodivonych continued to reason out loud, “I couldn’t manage to feed it through the winter, there wasn’t enough food.”

- Is this the widow? - Olga Nikolaevna asked.

- Yes; Sidor, her husband, died of consumption this summer, leaving three small children.

Olga Nikolaevna felt the wallet in the bag. She took a hundred rubles for gifts and purchases for the holidays and for the Christmas tree, and she felt awkward and bored at heart.

“Stop, Rodivonych,” she suddenly said. The cart with the cow reached Olga Nikolaevna’s sleigh.

- Ivanovna, come, are you taking the cow to sell? she asked.

- What to do, Olga Nikolaevna, there is nothing to feed.

“Don’t sell the cow, here it is for you,” said Olga Nikolaevna, taking out her wallet in the cold with numb fingers and handing Ivanovna a 25-ruble note.

- Take it, Ivanovna, and go home to the children; “This is my gift for the holiday,” Olga Nikolaevna added, hiding her wallet and hands in her muff. “Well, let’s go,” she turned to Rodivonych.

“And this is the joy of my soul for the holiday,” Olga Nikolaevna whispered quietly and remembered how the other day the old nanny gave a coin to a beggar and crossed herself as she walked away.

They overtook one convoy and caught up with the other. A shaggy cow was tied to one of the sleighs; Baba Ivanovna was sitting in the sleigh in her bad, old sheepskin coat and a torn scarf on her head, completely frozen with surprise, joy and cold, she could not say a word. When she finally got ready to thank the lady, she had already driven far away in her bay troika, and Ivanovna, crossing herself, thanked God. She tied a 25-ruble note into the corner of her scarf and, turning her horse, rode home, thinking about how happy the children would be at home. They cried so much this morning when they saw off their cow.

Olga Nikolaevna, having arrived in the city, warmed up in a familiar shop, where a crowd of people was buying various provisions for the holidays, and ordered purchases from the bustling clerks. She took off her second coat, ordered the bays to be unharnessed and given food. Then she went to Sushkin’s toy shop. The young clerk Sasha very diligently bowed to the rich buyer and began to show the toys. For a long time Olga Nikolaevna chose different toys: a doll, dishes, tools, decals and stickers - for each child, what he loves. Ilyusha loved horses, they bought him a stable with stalls and horses in them; then tools, and a gun that shot both cork and peas. They bought two dolls and a cart for little Masha; Lele - a watch with a chain, tumbling clowns and an organ with music. Seryozha was a serious boy, and Olga Nikolaevna bought him an album, a lot of decals and stickers, and also a real knife, which had nine different tools: a file, a screwdriver, an awl, scissors, a corkscrew, etc. In addition, a book about birds was ordered from Moscow. Black-eyed Tanya Olga Nikolaevna chose a real tea set with pink flowers, a lotto with pictures, and also a beautiful work box, in which she put scissors, spools, needles, ribbons, hooks, buttons - everything she needed for work - and a nice silver thimble with a red stone at the bottom.

“Well, thank God, I chose everyone,” said Olga Nikolaevna; - now, Sasha, give me various toys for the children and all sorts of decorations for the Christmas tree.

Sasha brought a large box and they began to put crackers, cardboard boxes, lanterns, wax candles, shiny things, beads, etc. in it. For gifts for the children, Olga Nikolaevna asked for horses and dolls. It was necessary to choose simpler and cheaper toys for our children and children; 25 rubles were given to Ivanovna and now she had to spend less money. She chose 30 little horses on wheels and asked for dolls.

- Well, now give me inexpensive undressed dolls.

“There are no such people,” answered Sasha.

- Can't be. “Hello, Nikolai Ivanovich,” Olga Nikolaevna greeted the owner, her old acquaintance, who entered the shop.

“Our respect to you,” answered the old man.

“I’m asking if there are any dolls, my children will dress them themselves; We need a lot of them for the peasant boys and girls.

“Show me, Sasha, maybe the Skeleton lady will like it.”

“I know they won’t like it,” Sasha said contemptuously. - Not a master's product. But would it do for a village...

And Sasha pulled out the drawer and took into both hands a whole handful of naked wooden dolls, which he contemptuously called skeletons. The skeletons began to fuss, the bright light of the lamp illuminated their faces and black glossy heads. They felt cheerful, light and spacious. They were already tired of lying in the box, and the skeletons really wanted to be bought and revived. Olga Nikolaevna counted and bought all forty pieces.

“Well, that’s it now,” she said. - Write the bill, and for now I’ll go buy nuts, candies, gingerbread cookies, apples and various sweets. Then I’ll come to you for toys and pay money.

The nimble, roguish Sasha began to pack everything, put two full boxes, and squeezed the skeletons again, wrapped them in thick gray paper, tied them with a rope and threw them onto the box.

Olga Nikolaevna, having finished all her business and taken her shopping, finally got ready to go home.

... Lunch passed quietly. Olga Nikolaevna told how she went to the city, complained about the cold and told the girls that after lunch they needed to choose scraps and start dressing the skeletons.

- What skeletons? - Tanya asked laughing.

“And these are these dolls, the clerk Sasha called them skeletons.” You'll see. They were lying in a drawer in a toy store, they were not shown, but I opened them and brought them out into the light. We dress them up so much that it’s just a miracle.

After lunch, the warmed skeletons were brought and immediately poured onto a large table.

- What a disgrace! - said the father. - Yes, God knows what kind of rubbish. Some freaks. Just spoil the children’s taste with such disgrace,” the father grumbled and sat down to read the newspaper.

“Wait, when we dress them up, it won’t be bad,” said the mother.

“Ha ha ha,” Tanya laughed. - Those legs look like sticks with pink shoes...

“And this snub-nosed one, his shiny black head, stupid face and such sticky paint, ugh!..” Seryozha remarked disgustedly.

“Well, dance, dead people,” said Ilyusha, taking two dolls and making them jump.

“Give me one,” asked little Masha, holding out her thin white hands.

The skeletons were very happy. They felt warm, light and happy with the children. They were fast asleep in a dark drawer of a toy store, they were cold and bored. And so they were called to life. Their little wooden bodies began to warm up and come to life, they wanted to dress them up and they would stand on the Christmas tree on a large round table, in the middle of which there would be a small Christmas tree with candles and decorations. So funny!

“Well, girls, let’s go pick out the scraps,” Olga Nikolaevna called Tanya and Masha. In the bedroom, she pulled out the bottom chest of drawers and took out several bundles of scraps. What, what was not there! Here is the rest of Tanya's red dress; and here is a striped scrap from Ilyusha’s Russian trousers; pieces of ribbon from a mother's hat, velvet, remnants of a blue silk pillow, etc. and so on. Tanya and Masha, two real little women, tinkered with the patches with great enthusiasm. They collected a whole bundle of rags and ran into the hall.

Cutting and fitting began; they created all sorts of costumes for the skeletons. Miss Hannah, Olga Nikolaevna, the nanny who was called to help, Tanya - everyone set to work. Tanya sewed and cut skirts and sleeves, Miss Hannah and the nanny sewed shirts, jackets and pantaloons for the boys, and Olga Nikolaevna made caps, bonnets and various decorations.

The first, prettiest skeleton was dressed as an angel. A fluffy white muslin shirt, on the head there is a crown of gold paper, and behind the wooden back there are two muslin wings stretched over a thin frame.

- How lovely! - Tanya admired touchingly, taking the doll from her mother’s hands. - Oh, mom, what a cute little angel, someone will get it!

And Tanya, admiring the elegant skeleton, carefully put it aside.

- And what a guy the nanny dressed, it’s a miracle! - Ilyusha shouted, picking up a doll in a red shirt and a black round cap.

The creator Tanya made a Turk in a white turban with a red bottom. The Turk was given a mustache and beard, a long, colorful caftan and wide trousers.

Then they dressed another skeleton as an officer in golden epaulettes and with a saber made of silver paper.

Dressed up were a nurse in a kokoshnik, an old woman with white hair made of cotton wool, a gypsy with a red shawl over her shoulder, a dancer in a short skirt with flowers on her head, two soldiers in blue and red uniforms, and a clown with a pointed hat at the end which the bell was sewn on. There was a cook all in white, and a child in a cap, and a king in a golden crown.

The work was fun and fast. From the ugly naked skeletons, beautiful, colorful, elegant dolls came to life more and more. The queen was very good. Olga Nikolaevna cut out a crown for her from gold paper, made a long velvet dress, and put a small fan in a wooden handle.

The children were delighted with the skeletons. The work went on for three evenings in a row, and all forty pieces were ready and stood in rows on the table, representing the most motley, beautiful crowd.

Brave Tanya ran for her father and brought him into the hall.

- Look, dad, is this rubbish now?

- Are these the freaks that mom brought? Can't be! Why, what a delight this is!

- That's right, dad, you praise us, we worked for three days.

- Well, you brought these wooden corpses to life. A whole people, and even beautiful, smart people!

The children were delighted that dad himself praised the skeletons, and the next day another job began. They started gilding the nuts, making flowers, gluing boxes, and putting the dolls in the closet.

The revived skeletons were no longer bored. Gathered in a spacious closet, dressed, smart, they patiently waited for the Christmas tree, and had fun in the closet among other toys: animals, cardboards, and other beautiful things.

From the author: “We found three boxes and one large bag of Christmas tree decorations on the landlord’s mezzanines.”
One of the boxes was dusty, scary, and, moreover, sealed to death with a stapler. For three thousand years, no one apparently had any interest in its contents. "Cool!" - I thought. - “We have to get in!” There were Christmas tree decorations in the box, just like in the other two, but they were old, quite patina and unusual, and some (the coolest ones, well!) were also broken. But there are still not very many broken ones.
I don’t understand anything about this, I can’t date it, and I’ll be glad if someday someone tells me more about these fragile, beautiful things. And here there will be photographs. Judging by the aesthetics and some of the items, it can be dated. The first photo is from the second half of the 1960s, closer to the seventies. Icicles, lanterns, top (second from left, top row). A flashlight on a mount - we repeated toys from the GDR. They came to us en masse around 1967.
The second photo with peas, mushrooms and birches - looks like the late Khrushchev))) 1960-1962.
The third photo is of two tops, mid-1960s or earlier. The 1950s were mostly stars.
The fourth photo is icicles. I won’t say for everything, but the striped duvets on the right are pure 1970s, even the early seventies, when sideboards, floor lamps and coffee tables suddenly appeared.
The fifth photo is with a Chukchi youth. It's like a mix of times here. Chukotka guy - late 1950s. The orange basket with the dog is either already from the 1980s, or it’s a foreign toy, some kind of Polish one, which doesn’t look like the GDR. The chicken on the left is also late period or also imported. Owl, tumbler and squirrel - mid-1960s.
The sixth photo is lanterns. All 1960s. Middle and towards the end.
The seventh photo is an acorn and a basket of vegetables or fruits, corn - late Khrushev.
Eighth photo - cones. Including sugar - it's all 1960s and maybe a little 1970s. We borrowed sugar ones from the GDR.
I can’t say anything about the Ninth and Tenth photos.
Eleventh photo - bells: bottom row on the left with the tongue + on the right the white ribbed beater looks like the 1960s. The blue bell and top pink are from the 1980s, or late 1970s.

I really like this series, such vegetables and fruits, very naturalistic, uneven, nicely colored, especially the cool apple and garlic... and pepper, and pea pod)) in general, everything is cool! and I like this “icicle” in birch color.

It’s clear that these are tree tops.

Here's some more incredibly cool stuff! Especially this naive Chukchi youth on the right is good, and the house under him.

Fungus and acorn are my favorites here!

I'm not sure about the top row of pine cones, they look new, the ones in the bottom row are cooler, but the top ones were in the same box, and in general... I like them too)

These tops with clothespins, like on a transparent star, are the first time I’ve ever seen them, I really like them.

But this wonderful parrot is alone, all alone, there was nothing else so crazy in the box, except for another exotic bird, but she was completely injured and lost her beak, so the parrot here is lonely and beautiful, like a romantic hero)

This year we decorated a spontaneous Christmas tree with these unexpectedly found ones. Spontaneous because Nastya Kryuchevskaya brought it, and we ourselves didn’t plan to put anything up, we only bought a couple of wreaths, entwined them with ribbons, and okay, it seemed... But Nastya came and brought a tree) For some reason, that’s what I like best - when things happen themselves. A thread from there, a thread from here - and Fenka. Nobody was waiting for her, but she is there.