One of the earliest mass-produced artificial Christmas trees, originally purchased for pennies in 1920, sold for an astonishing price at auction according to Hansons Auctioneers.

The 31-inch tree, complete with 25 branches, 12 berries, and six mini candle holders, was estimated to sell for around $76-$102.

According to a press release, a global bidding battle took place that far exceeded everyone’s expectations. The tree sold for $4,328 at auction on Friday.

The Christmas tree arrived at the home of Dorothy Grant in Leicestershire in England’s East Midlands in 1920, when she was 8 years old, and she was “wildly excited,” said Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, in a press release.

Grant’s mother may have purchased it from Woolworths, the popular department store that started selling some of the first mass-produced artificial trees around 1920. 

Dorothy treasured the tree until her passing at the age of 101 in 2014, following which her 84-year-old daughter, Shirley Hall, inherited it.

The seller is parting with the tree to honor her mother’s memory and to ensure it survives as a humble reminder of 1920s life –a boom-to-bust decade,” Hanson added.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/16/style/humblest-christmas-tree-auction-intl/index.html