Vintage Blow Molds Price Guide: Empire, General Foam, Union Products, and Poloron

Most vintage blow molds sell for $20–$80, with large Santas, snowmen, and Halloween pumpkins in good paint bringing $60–$150 and complete nativity sets reaching $150–$400. Maker, size, paint condition, and whether it still lights decide the price. Because they are bulky and expensive to ship, blow molds are one of the few holiday categories where local booth and flea market sellers often get better prices than online.

What a Blow Mold Is

Blow molds are hollow plastic figures made by blowing heated polyethylene into a mold, then painting the raised details. A light socket goes inside, so they glow on a porch or lawn. American companies made them in huge numbers from the 1960s through the 1990s, and the generation that grew up with them is now buying them back.

The Makers to Know

• Empire Plastics (Tarboro, North Carolina) made the most recognizable pieces: Santas, snowmen, choir kids, candles, nativities, and Halloween pumpkins and witches. Empire is the name most buyers search.
• General Foam Plastics (Norfolk, Virginia) made a long line of Christmas and Halloween figures and later reissued many older designs.
• Union Products (Leominster, Massachusetts), best known for the pink lawn flamingo, also made Christmas and Halloween molds, including well-known Santas and Halloween figures.
• Poloron made 1960s–70s pieces that are generally older and scarcer, especially its candles, Santas, and nativity figures.
• Carolina Enterprises, TPI, and Grand Venture made later pieces. Grand Venture molds from the 1990s and 2000s sell well but below the older names.

How to Identify and Date One

Turn it over or look near the base. Most blow molds have the maker's name, city, and a year molded into the plastic. That year is the mold date, not necessarily the year the piece was made, because popular molds ran for decades.

• Read the molded mark for the maker and date. A clear early date with a known maker is the starting point for value.
• Check the cord and socket. Original cords have older plugs and a cardboard or plastic insert at the base. Many have been replaced, which buyers accept on outdoor pieces.
• Look at the paint. Factory paint is applied in flat, even areas over raised details. Repainted pieces often have brush marks, glossy hobby paint, or colors that do not match the original catalog version.
• Shine a light inside to find cracks and holes before you price.

2026 Blow Mold Prices

Prices climbed sharply during the stay-at-home holidays of the early 2020s and have settled since. These are realistic local sold prices for pieces in decent paint that light up. Online prices can look higher, but they are often asking prices, and shipping on a three-foot Santa wipes out much of the difference.

Christmas

• Small candle, lantern, or choir kid (under 20 inches): $15–$40
• Empire choir kid set (boy and girl): $40–$80
• Medium Santa, snowman, or soldier (24–36 inches): $40–$90
• Large Santa or snowman (40 inches+): $60–$150
• Large candle (36 inches+): $30–$75
• Single nativity figure (Mary, Joseph, a wise man): $25–$75
• Complete nativity set with camels and shepherds: $150–$400
• Reindeer and sleigh pieces: $40–$120
• Poloron Santas and candles in good paint: $50–$150

Halloween and other holidays

• Small jack-o'-lantern or pumpkin: $20–$45
• Large pumpkin or stacked pumpkin: $40–$100
• Witch, ghost, black cat, or scarecrow: $50–$150
• Thanksgiving turkey or pilgrim: $30–$80
• Easter bunny or egg: $20–$50

Halloween blow molds were made in smaller numbers than Christmas ones, so a witch or ghost in good paint often outsells a Santa of the same size.

What Lowers the Price

• Sun fade. Most blow molds lived outdoors. Light fading is expected; a Santa that has gone pink and white loses half its value.
• Cracks and holes. A small hole near the base is minor. A split seam or crushed face is a large discount.
• Repaints. Some buyers want restored pieces, many do not. Disclose any repaint and price it below original paint.
• Missing light kit. Not a big deal, since replacements are cheap, but say so on the tag.

Reissues and Newer Pieces

Several popular designs were produced again in later years from the original molds, and General Foam in particular reissued many classic looks. The shape is the same, so check the molded date and the condition of the plastic. Newer pieces have bright, glossy paint and stiff, clean plastic. They still sell, often at $20–$50, but price them as newer decor, not as 1970s originals.

When and Where They Sell Best

Halloween blow molds sell from mid-September through October 25 or so; after that, store them. Christmas pieces start moving in late October and peak from the weekend after Thanksgiving through about December 15, which is when people decorate their yards. Thanksgiving weekend, including Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, is often the single best weekend of the year for them.

Display them where they show from the aisle, lit if you have an outlet. A lit Santa at the front of a booth stops traffic. Group small pieces together: a choir pair or a candle set sells faster than singles. Do not mark Christmas blow molds down until the week of December 15; they are an end-of-season decorating purchase, and people are still buying right up to that point.

If you sell online, offer local pickup or price shipping honestly. Oversized boxes are expensive, and the buyers who pay those costs are looking for specific rare pieces, not common Santas.

Cleaning, Storing, and Pricing a Whole Collection

Wash blow molds with mild dish soap and a soft cloth. Skip solvents and magic erasers on painted areas, since they lift factory paint fast. Let pieces dry fully before you plug them in, and swap any cracked socket or frayed cord before it goes on the sales floor.

When a whole yard's worth turns up at once, sort it into three groups: Halloween, Christmas, and everything else. Pull out the large Santas, the nativity, and any Halloween witches or ghosts and price those individually. Bundle choir kids, candles, and small figures into pairs or sets. A garage full of blow molds priced as one lot usually sells to another dealer at a deep discount, so separating the best pieces first is worth the hour it takes.

Store unsold pieces indoors, out of sunlight, and stacked so nothing heavy sits on a face. A summer in a hot shed can warp thin plastic and fade paint, which costs you next season's price.

Buy for next year in January and February, when owners clear out garages and blow molds turn up cheap at yard and estate sales.

Not sure if that faded Santa is a $40 piece or a $120 one? Run it through PocketPrice for a price calibrated to your market. For the rest of the holiday stock, see the vintage Christmas decorations price guide and the outdoor and garden price guide.