One of the world’s first mass-produced Christmas trees, bought for 6p in 1920, has sold for more than £3,400 at auction.
Described by the auctioneer as “the humblest Christmas tree in the world”, it is 79cm (31in) tall and has 25 branches, 12 berries and six mini candle holders. The tree sits in a small, red-painted wooden base with a simple decorative emblem.
The tree was bought in 1920 by the family of eight-year-old Dorothy Grant. It served as Grant’s Christmas tree until her death at the age of 101. After Grant died in 2014, the tree was passed on to her daughter, Shirley Hall, 84.
It was expected to sell for between £60 and £80 but fetched £3,411 when it went under the hammer at Hansons auctioneers on Friday.
Charles Hanson, the owner of Hansons and a regular guest on the BBC’s Bargain Hunt, Flog It! and Antiques Road Trip said: “This is one of the earliest Christmas trees of its type we have seen. The humblest Christmas tree in the world has a new home and we’re delighted for both buyer and seller … I think it’s down to the power of nostalgia. Dorothy’s story resonated with people.”
He added: “As simple as it was, Dorothy loved that tree. It became a staple part of family celebrations for decades. The fact that it brought such joy to Dorothy is humbling in itself. It reminds us that extravagance and excess are not required to capture the spirit of Christmas. For Dorothy it was enough to have a tree.
“We understand Dorothy’s mother, who was born in 1891, acquired the tree in 1920 … Shirley thinks it may have been purchased from a shop in London. It resembles the first mass-produced artificial trees sold by popular department store Woolworths. However, the red paint decoration on its wooden base is different to Woolworths examples sold previously. Perhaps Dorothy’s tree was produced for an expensive London department store.
“Some of the first artificial Christmas trees utilised machinery which had been designed to manufacture toilet brushes. The waste-not, want-not generations of old are still teaching us an important lesson about valuing the simple things and not replacing objects just for the sake of it.
“The seller is parting with the tree now to honour her mother’s memory and to ensure it survives as a humble reminder of 1920s life – a boom-to-bust decade.”
