|
“ THE CRACKER BOX INC "
“When you only want the best be sure and buy from the best”. The ornament listed here is from the One and Only ORIGINAL THE CRACKER BOX INC. Cracker Box Christmas Ornament Kit " KLONDIKE GOLD".
ALASKA. Why does it seem so impossible to believe that in 1867, our then Secretary of State, William Seward, negotiated the purchase of that huge land from Russia for $7.2 million? For this, it was vilified in the press as “Seward’s Folly” — a barren backwater, until the gold rush of 1896 in Klondike. It was only in 1959 that this ore/oil rich land became our 49th state! Just a short time ago, we wereallowed, as tourists, to “pan” a little, just to get a feel of what it must have been like... but the gold WE see in jewelry shops was NOT what those brave pioneers saw. Truth to tell: that life must have been brutal. We see here the eventual beauty on a 3" gold ball, but you can change it to a LOT of our alternate color 3" balls.
THIS IS ONE FO THE 8 CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT KITS TO BE RETIRED ON DECEMBER 31ST 2011. SEE ALSO ANNIVERSARY, CHAPELLE, CALIFORNIA GOLD , EBBTIDE, CHRISTMAS PARTY, KEY LIME PIE AND PAGODA.
Over the past few months there has been quite a number of the “Cracker Box Christmas ornament kits for sale on e-bay. These were being sold as the result of a large purchase of them from an estate sale. The Ornament KIT listed here is one of over 223 currently listed in our catalog plus another 150 that are part of our "Golden Oldie" program. Located in Pennsylvania for over 35 years the Cracker Box has always designed Christmas ornaments kits that are handed down from generation to generation. Our ornament kits have been assembled and displayed all over the world.
Our customers have purchased these ornaments and often given them away as gifts to family and friends. A number have adorned a Christmas tree display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC., and have been displayed in a number of governors mansions, senators homes and even the “White House" One of over 2500 letters we have received over the years still is special to us. One of our Canadian customers purchased a kit called “CROWN PRINCE", completed it and was so moved by the design, forwarded the finished ornament to the Queen of England who then gave it to Lady Diana on “Prince William"1st Christmas. We have in our office a letter from Buckingham Palace thanking the customer for this personal gift. "WHAT MAKES THESE ORNAMENTS SO SPECIAL?"
Other than the incredible talent of Paul and Walter in designing these unique and beautiful ornaments over the past 40 years, a lot of the value is in the materials used. I think a quote from their catalog will best explain why they are so special and have such value - "WE BOTH DESIGN AND PACKAGE EVERYTHING. If a design calls for faceted jewels from Austria or Germany, for instance, it's because no company in America makes them. THE MOST EXPENSIVE KIT IN OUR COLLECTION is CINDERELLA'S COACH, and it has 8 FEET of Swarovski strung rhinestones, in settings that have been gold plated, PLUS 130 deep emerald FLAT-BACK rhinestones". As you can see, many of the ornaments are truly designs of distinction. Many of the braids and other materials that go into the making of these ornaments are made exclusively for them as well. Since the kits contain these special high quality and unique trims, some of the earlier kits and ornaments cannot be recreated due to the inability to acquire the materials necessary. This drastically increases the value of those original ornament kits. You will see this especially as the kits reach the GOLDEN OLDIES list or, in this case, this ornament is no longer available, on any of the lists. As you can see, incredible design talent, only the finest and unique trims along with the unavailability to recreate some of the past designs make these ornaments, not only some of the most beautiful, but most collectible ornaments available.
CRACKER BOX INC "KLONDIKE GOLD"
A copy from the catalog page showing the ornament is included in the listing. Please see other listing from the Cracker Box Inc. Come join our family of ball-o-holics.
Cordially: PAUL (in spirit) & WALTER Linda and Mike The Cracker Box Inc. |