Department 56

Department 56 is a major manufacturer of Holiday collectibles, ornaments and giftware, known for their lighted Christmas village collections and their Snowbabies collection.

History

In 1993, Department 56 was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol of "DFS". In 2005 after purchasing Lenox from Brown-Forman, the company changed their name to Lenox Group Inc and now trades under the symbol "LNX". Department 56 was founded in 1976. Department 56 is a company that manufactures gift items. On this site it concerns those lovely lighted porcelain houses you see in many stores, especially during the Christmas season. These houses have become very collectible.

Villages

The Original Snow Village Collection (1976-present) Welcome to The Original Snow Village. Built with the same traditions and values found in small towns across America, the shops and neighborhoods of Main Street, U.S.A., continue to prosper and grow.

Dickens' Village Series (1984-present) Victorian England at the time of Charles Dickens was a center of culture for the world, where many traditons we celebrate today took shape. Charles Dickens loved to walk the lanes and streets of London for inspiration. Let the finely-detailed hand-painted porcelain lighted buildings and accessories of this series inspire your feelings of Christmases past and Christmases yet to come. Many of the buildings and accessories in this series replicate real life structures, for example "Tower Bridge of London," "Windsor Castle," "Buckingham Palace," "The Daily News," etc.

Alpine Village Series (1986-present) The intricately detailed lighted buildings and accessories of this series are as unique and diverse as the towns and hamlets in the Alpine and Bavarian regions as they represent. A combination of craftsmanship and imagination comes together to create this classic array of hand-painted buildings and accessories filled with nostalgia and charm.

New England Village Series (1986-present) There is something special about New England and its history that calls to all of us-whether we're from there, visited and vacationed there or merely read about it in history books and travel brocheres. The delicately hand-painted porecelain buildings and accessories portray a simpler time when America was beginning its great traditions.

Value

Each Village consists of numerous houses and shops along with a number of accessory pieces for each of the villages. Each year new buildings and accessories are introduced. Retirement of different pieces each year causes their value to increase tremendously.

Some collectors collect strictly because they love them, some because they relate to some of the buildings and others because they have a passion for them. Still others collect for their increased value, profit and/or for all of the reasons stated.

External links

• Department 56's Homepage
• Matt's Department 56 Extravaganza This is the largest (personal) Department 56 web site on the Internet and is updated regularly. One can find Display Pictures, an extensive collection of Dept. 56 Links, an Events Page, a Bulletin Board, a News Page, a Marketplace, and even a Dept. 56 Word Search.