I was putting some Halloween decorations in the attic when I noticed this little spot of red poking out from under a pile of garbage bags filled with stuffed animals.
Being the curious creature that I am, I decided to move the bags and in the process discovered something I thought had long since gone to the Goodwill!
These two sweet garden Gnomes belonged to my parents. The little guy is 11" tall and the big guy measures 19-1/2" tall.
The big guy is holding a lantern in his hand. The white plastic part has started to crumble but I'm guessing the light still works. If so, I'm going to figure out something to replace the white part with.
They both still have their original manufacturer's tag attached so I did a little investigating to see what I could find out about Heissner and was pleasantly surprised! I knew my parents purchased them around 1970, so that makes them about 40 years old but that is all I knew.
The first thing I learned is they were manufactured in Germany. The second thing I learned is that August Heissner was one of two people to produce Gnomes in quantity and started production around 1870. So you might say that the Heissner Gnomes are partially responsible for Gnomes becoming the popular little characters we know and love today. And since they are wearing read hats are decorative and I think old enough to be vintage,
I'm linking this post to REDnesday at It's a Very Cherry World andVintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady.
and Rick Rack and Gingham!
"Oh what a treasure to find"!!! I LOVE these guys, you are very lucky to have them and the sentiment that goes with them... Thank you SO much for sharing them with us...
ReplyDeleteHugs, Donna
Glad you were cleaning or we would never have seen these cute little fellows. They make a nice feature for Rednesday.
ReplyDeleteOh this is wonderful you found these gnomes. As you know I love gnomes myself and have several but none this special. That white piece looks just like some small plastic pipe we have around here. Look in that section of a hardware store, maybe a fitting of some sort could go on there.
ReplyDeleteWhat cute little guys. I'm glad you found them.
ReplyDeleteD
Totally vintage and just too adorable!
ReplyDeleteI hope they aren't going to Goodwill now. If so let me know which one and what day and I'll try to get them. They are really nice and you took a great photo of them.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found them...what treasures...such fun guys....have a blessed Thanksgiving day...Shelley
ReplyDeleteThat is neat to learn about where your Gnomes came from. To think, they almost ended up at Goodwill.
ReplyDeleteHave a great thanksgiving!
cindy
treasuresinmyheart.blogspot.com
Very nice gnomes and not of the quality I usually see. Be care where you put them, they can get into mischief or someone may take them... I am never quite sure when it comes to gnomes.
ReplyDeleteGnomes make me smile :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Rednesday and have a blessed Thanksgiving with your family:)
Kay Ellen
Great treasures! These are some charmers! Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteNan, I hope these never make it to Goodwill! They're SO cute and whimsical, and so much nicer than the cheap ones made today. These guys are real treasures!
ReplyDeleteHappy REDnesday and Happy Thanksgiving!
Carol
How cute! So glad you found them! Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteThose are cute little fellows!
ReplyDeleteHow precious are those guys. And you still have the tags on them - wow!!!
ReplyDeleteGosh I can't believe we're saying the 70's were 40 years ago. How did that happen? ha-ha.
Love...Tracy :)
What a great discovery in your attic... I love when I find things I thought lost or given away. Sweet gnomes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet treasure to discover right at your own home!!! Just waiting for you to find it!!! Love that. Happy VTT!
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