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It all started when I declared early November that I was pulling all things Christmas from the attic and going through each and everything with the goal to decrease my Christmas crap by 75%.
I have 20+ years of Christmas collecting, 7 moves including a 3 year storage unit, and the uncanny ability to block a mess out of my mind if it is in the attic.
It is the perfect storm for a special holiday edition of Hoarders.
Yep. That is it.
*shudder*
It took weeks to go through everything with help. I was excited to put up the tree and a few accessories and return less than 25% of the boxes to a very roomy attic.
In the process of the sorting, I came across our Liberty Falls Village.
Well, due to rapid growth it might be re-classified as Liberty Falls City.
Blog-Stedman and I started collecting Liberty Falls cottages right after we were married. They were featured at large department stores one a week for 5-6 weeks leading up to Christmas. They were $5 a piece and we he made sure that we didn’t miss a week…in years.
I know you are looking at that and saying to yourself,
Holly, that is pretty impressive, but those are only the early years of Liberty Falls Collectibles! But what about:
- the 57 single boxed cottages
- the 22 double & exciting triple boxed cottages often with bonus pewter people!
- 22 boxes of pewter people and animals
- 2 books
- 2 village scene mats
Oh! ya, I have those too…
It is a massive Liberty Falls collection that has been taking up storage space for over 15 years.
I haven’t put them out at Christmas since 1995. It is just too overwhelming.
I approached blog-Stedman with the idea of finding a new home for the collection. He was surprisingly receptive and went off to do a little research. He came back a few minutes later and said that he had found websites where the houses were listed for $15 – 30 each!
Holy crap. Our kids are going to a fancy college!
It would be much easier for us if we could find a buyer for all of them at the same time so blog-Stedman went back to the computer to see if people were selling Liberty Falls lots on eBay.
He came back a few minutes later and said that what people were BUYING them.
They were buying them at $1 – $3 a house.
What! We PAID $5 a house close to 20 years ago! Don’t these people see the value in our collection?
But then he went on to say that he had come across a rare season that we had missed…
and it was priced very reasonably.
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
just think of all the Christmas crap you can hand down to your children. You know what they say about payback don’t you.
Thanks for the warning, I see no good comes from visiting the attic.
Yes, I was given boxes last year of Christmas stuff from my mother last year and finally went through them this Christmas. She also collected the Liberty Falls Collection and there were pieces in those boxes but not all of them. I distinctly remember visiting from college and there being a magnetic skating rink that went with her collection, yet, unfortunately it was not part of my boxes.
Sell! Sell! While you still can.
Because when they come to film your episode of hoarding they’ll just make ya throw it in the trash.
Then make yourself take the proceeds and buy something small, in a blue box.
Holly. Don’t you know that Santa must now skip your house? You used CHRISTMAS and CRAP in the same sentence. Cardinal sin. I’m sure Reese will happily take any toys made for the 3 Rs
That is a very impressive collection! I always wanted to do something like that but our married life has consisted of homes with no storage or space for display. I’m lucky I found space for a couple Hallmark ornaments every year & even those didn’t get seen for 5 years due to 3 ft trees that can’t support the ornament’s weight.
Whoa! That is some Christmas collection!
I plan to take my old things to a shelter, if I get a round to it lol.
Wow … that’s some clearing out you did although it sounds like blog-Stedmam was wavering at the end. Perhaps you could hold onto the village and let the children know it’s theirs to share? They might think its cool to have somethings that were mom and dad’s.
if he hadn’t first read the $15-30 price tags, you wouldn’t have had the same letdown.
either way, it’s good to cleanse the attic!
Okay, I doubt you’ll read this comment, never mind find the time to return it, but I just gotta say I kinda super duper love your entire site. Your textual tone is freakin’ hilarious!
I love the dry witticism, I love all the pictures, I love the subjects you cover, and the most amazing part about all of this is that you’re a Mum Blogger, and y’know what? I can’t stand most Mummie Bloggers, at all. They go on and on about the most inane and boring aspects of their children’s lives, and not much else, but you’ve got such variety and so many interesting stories, to boot! Plus, you’re not afraid to talk about YOURSELF from time to time, something a lot of Mummie Bloggers are afraid to do.
So yes, just letting you know that I loved reading while I was here, and that I shall be back to read again. ^_~
Is it weird that all I can keep going back to is your light fixture in the first picture? I LOVE that light. I want one. I think maybe I have spent WAY too much time looking at this kind of stuff as we tried to sell this house.
The little village stuff is really cool (although as a former military wife, I can tell you that would have NEVER survived in our world). But seriously, the light? Well done, Holly.
Love,
Buffi who really needs to get a life (and a light, evidently)
PS I also love how little man there is just sitting, looking at it all in awe as if to say, “Holy Snowglobes, Batman!! I had no idea! These stacks are bigger than me!”
Mallory’s comment: “Your textual tone is freakin’ hilarious!”
Although I wholeheartedly agree, the phase “textual tone” cracks me up and makes me feel a bit gutter-minded.
I hope you wrote back to her.
Replace your Liberty falls collection with fake trees of all sizes and fake poinsettias, and you have my Christmas storage area! Not for long though – we are doing a MAJOR purge and SOON! It has to be now instead of after the holidays, otherwise I’m just done and it all gets thrown back down there.
So much for that plan. Oh well, at least one of the boys will inherit the collection!
Holly, do I need to submit you for a special holiday edition of Hoarders?
Oh Holly Holy, that is an impressive haul of Christmas crap. I thought I had a lot.
Proud of you for purging. I don’t want to say I knew someone on Hoarders.
Bummer about the prices, I thought for sure your kids could now afford UT! ha!
Well, your Liberty Falls collection is way more practical that the 500+ Beanie Babies we collected in the 90s. You don’t even want to know how much we paid for the Princess Diana bear on the black market. Those are also worth zip now, so I guess we’re holding onto them in case they ever make a comeback someday. You never know…. someday those little houses could be antiques and you’ll make a ton of money. Hopefully.
Heh heh heh…I pulled my insanely heavy box of Liberty Falls stuff out last year and told myself that I would donate it because I hadn’t put it out since moving to my husband’s house (he had a house when we got married 11 yrs ago.) I also talked myself out of donating the box because 1) it was super heavy and I couldn’t lift it into the car, 2) my Mom was visiting and said “hey! why not sell it on eBay?” and 3) I was overwhelmed with other stuff going on at the same time…So, it sat next to the refrigerator in the garage ALL stinkin’ year long! Needless to say, I told myself I would donate it again this year…and it still sits there. You would think I would have asked DH to put it in the car for me but that hasn’t even happened either…I. Will. Donate. This. Crap. This. Year. Before. Christmas. There. I said it out loud. Now, maybe I’ll actually get it done. Sure would like the floor space in the garage.
It’s just nice to know I’m not the only LFV hoarder out there! I mean we paid good money for those stupid little houses right? I’m still not even sure why. I guess they were cute when I only had 8 or 9 but now that I have 100. Not so cute anymore. Love your blog!!!
Merry Christmas!
have u donated yet? interested. will pay for shipping
I am one of those hoarders. I just started collecting Liberty Falls 5 years ago. There are over 350 pieces to this collection and I am down to the last 50. I would buy them. I love them and so does my kids. They both want me to will them to them. So I might need 2 sets. Holy cow trying to get one was a killer.
Patty
Hey, Patty. I have a complete set if you’re seriously interested.
If your still interested I have over 200 houses plus trees and figures .
Great story …
I read the business history of the company maker and the reason they are “worth – less” is that the last few years they were selling upwards of 1.4 million pieces a year. Fads come and go – think of them as heavy cabbage patch dolls .. But heck I am buying them since they are much cheaper than plastic models for my train set layout. …. They are pretty however ……..
my suggestion — put em on ebay and get $ 100 -200 bucks and go to dinner …
julius
did you get them all sold? dying to find out. if not, please contact me!!!!! i’m sooooo very interested – seriously.
Hi Noryie,
I have 45 Liberty Fall houses and 14 accessory kits. I will sell all of if for $150. Let me know if your interested.
Thanks,
Joanne
I have 200 houses plus trees and figures
I have a large collection of Liberty Falls houses and the some of the big pieces like the hot air balloon. I am interested in selling them. Please let me know if you are interested.
Hi! I realize this post is a year old; I just googled Liberty Falls and this came up. I too have the whole (well, didn’t realize there were mats and books, so I guess I don’t have it all) collection taking up space in my basement! I bought them as something for me and my older son to do together while I was pregnant with my younger one, and it just kind of mushroomed from there. Glad to hear I’m not the only one.
Oops! The post is TWO years old!
I was adamant about collecting this set for a few years- then ‘life’ happened and it got pushed back —- this must have been about 1997– it had been in the attic for years and my ex brought them to me a few years ago. This year my 10 yr old got them out and put them around the Christmas Tree— She fell in love with it— now I have to find the story for her. Any hints where I might find copies of the old newsletters? How about a listing of the buildings?
I love Liberty Falls. Just decided to box up all of them (they were displayed all over the house) and find out which ones I am missing since I sold some when we needed the money. Grandchildren nicked a few more of them (they are meant to be admired and loved) and mice ate 4 boxes in the attic so have to replace those as well. I am surprised that the value of these houses has deteriorated so much. They are well painted and the story behind the town is very nice – if sometimes contradictory. I do have the newsletters. I’m sure there still are listings of the buildings on the internet.