Traditions reign during the holiday season, as bins and boxes are pulled out of attics and family heirlooms regain a (temporary) place of honor in home decoration. But are vintage ornaments better than reproductions? Depends on why you want the ornaments. If you want them to be mint, it’s OK to buy new, even the new reproductions. If your childhood ornaments are lost, you can buy similar ones at antiques shows, shops or online to replace the memories from the past. And if you are a serious ornament collector, you can buy the historic ornaments that are rare and rarely copied.

There are clues to the age of an ornament you might have. For example, the metal caps and hangers on a glass ball can indicate the age. About 1900, metal caps with a spring-like metal loop came into use. Early ones were soft and dull. Newer caps are usually shiny, with a stamped filigree design. And new hooks are sold in packages separate from the ornaments. But beware, almost everything has been copied. And old caps can be put on newer ornaments to make them look old.

Other holiday items to look for are Christmas tree holders, tree toppers, miniature holiday houses or the Noma Bubble lights that were so popular from 1940s to1970s. The Noma lights are back again and probably safer. Be careful of old cords. And don’t forget to get a glass Christmas pickle ornament. European tradition says you hang the pickle on the tree and the person who finds the ornament Christmas morning will have a happy year.

At a recent show, a box of six 1950’s “made by the finest craftsmen of Europe” ornaments, with the $1.25 price tag still on the box, sells for $16. Single old ornaments in a large basket were selling for $6 each. A 1940’s plastic lighted Santa about a foot-high was $12, and a small ceramic Santa leaning on a chimney was $32. An unopened box of hooks, probably from the 1960s, was selling for $8.

Online, searching for vintage and reproductions can turn up unusual items like a vintage Napco Santa Bank, 6 in. tall, for $99.

New decorations that look vintage are plentiful. A box of four “multi-color splash ornaments,” with swirls of glitter, sells for $9.99. Vintage reproduction sisals, or bottle brush trees with red bulbs sell for $27.50 for a set of three.

Beauty and value are in the eye of the beholder. And reproductions can still make the season bright and shiny!

Photos courtesy of Bronners.com and Etsy.