Vintage Thanksgiving Decor Price Guide: Gurley Candles, Turkey Platters, and More

Most vintage Thanksgiving decor sells for $5–$40 a piece: Gurley turkey and pilgrim candles, Beistle honeycomb turkeys, ceramic turkeys from 1970s ceramics classes, and pilgrim salt and pepper shakers. The money is in transferware turkey platters, which often bring $60–$200, and in early German candy containers, which can reach several hundred. Thanksgiving has the shortest selling window of any holiday, so timing matters as much as the price tag.

The Thanksgiving Selling Window

Thanksgiving decor sells from about October 1 to the week before the holiday. That is seven weeks. Buyers want it on the table or the mantel for the big day, and once the turkey is carved, demand drops to almost nothing until next fall. Put it out with your general fall and harvest stock in early October, keep it there through mid-November, and pull it the weekend before Thanksgiving to make room for Christmas.

One exception: turkey platters and transferware dinnerware sell to dish collectors year round, so they are safe to keep out longer or list online after the holiday.

Gurley and Tavern Candles

The Gurley Novelty Company of Buffalo, New York, made the little figural wax candles almost everyone's grandmother set out: turkeys, pilgrims, Native American figures, acorns, and cornucopias. Similar candles were sold under the Tavern name. Most were never lit, which is why so many survive. Look for the paper price sticker or a “Gurley” mark on the base.

• Small Gurley turkey candle: $3–$8
• Large Gurley turkey (5 inches+): $8–$20
• Pilgrim couple, pair: $8–$20
• Boxed or carded set: $20–$45
• Burned, chipped, or faded: $1–$3

These sell best in groups. A basket of six turkeys and two pilgrims priced as a lot moves faster than eight loose candles at a few dollars each.

Paper Decorations

Beistle, the Pennsylvania company known for Halloween die-cuts, made honeycomb tissue turkeys and centerpieces from the 1920s on. Earlier pieces are often marked “Made in USA” with Beistle's name on the cardboard; later ones are brighter and simpler. Dennison paper decorations and embossed German die-cuts turn up too.

• 1950s–70s honeycomb turkey centerpiece: $10–$30
• 1920s–40s Beistle honeycomb turkey: $25–$75
• Embossed German die-cut turkey or pilgrim: $15–$50
• Thanksgiving postcards (common): $2–$6 each
• Signed Ellen Clapsaddle or Raphael Tuck postcards: $6–$20 each

Ceramic Turkeys and Table Pieces

The 1970s ceramics-class boom produced thousands of turkey figurines, centerpieces, and covered dishes from molds by Atlantic Mold, Holland Mold, and others. The mold name and year are often stamped inside the base. Imported pieces from Japan (Napco, Lefton, and unmarked sticker pieces) fill out the category.

• Ceramic-class turkey figurine (6–10 inches): $15–$40
• Large ceramic turkey centerpiece or covered dish: $30–$75
• Fitz and Floyd turkey tureen or covered dish: $40–$120
• Pilgrim or turkey salt and pepper shakers (Japan): $8–$25 a pair
• Napco or Lefton turkey planter or figurine: $10–$30
• Turkey gravy boat or butter dish: $10–$35

Hand-painted ceramic-class pieces vary a lot. A well-glazed turkey with crisp feather detail sells; a muddy, chipped one sits. Check tail feathers and beaks for chips before you price.

Turkey Platters and Transferware

This is the top of the category. English potteries made brown, red, and multicolor transferware turkey platters for the American market for decades. Johnson Brothers is the name you will see most, along with Spode's Woodland line and patterns from Wedgwood and Mason's. Size is the biggest price driver: a 20-inch platter is worth far more than a 14-inch one.

• Johnson Brothers turkey platter, 14–16 inches: $40–$90
• Johnson Brothers turkey platter, 20 inches: $90–$200
• Spode Woodland turkey platter: $60–$150
• Matching turkey dinner plates: $8–$20 each
• Unmarked or later Asian-made turkey platter: $20–$50

Read the backstamp. “Made in England” with a known pottery name is what collectors want. Crazing is common and accepted; chips on the rim, hairline cracks, and heavy knife marks in the center are not. Fill in your knowledge of English dinnerware marks with our pottery and ceramics price guide.

German Candy Containers and Early Pieces

Composition and paper mache turkey candy containers made in Germany in the early 1900s, often with metal feet and a removable head or base that hides the candy cavity, are the high end of Thanksgiving collecting.

• Small German composition turkey (3–4 inches): $50–$125
• Larger German turkey candy container: $100–$300+
• Later Japanese or US-made turkey candy container: $15–$40

Reproductions of these are common and sold at gift shops for years. Originals show real age: dry, crazed paint, worn feet, and a composition body that feels light and chalky. Bright, glossy paint and a heavy resin body point to a reproduction worth $10–$20.

Blow Molds and Outdoor Pieces

Thanksgiving blow molds are far rarer than Christmas or Halloween ones, which helps. Lighted plastic turkeys and pilgrims from Empire, Union Products, and General Foam bring $30–$80 in decent paint, and buyers will pick them up locally rather than pay to ship. Our blow mold price guide covers how to date them.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Keeping it out too long. Anything still on the shelf the Monday before Thanksgiving should be marked down 30–50% or packed for next year.
• Pricing candles one by one. Group them. Small pieces under $5 lose to bundles every time.
• Missing the platter. A big brown turkey platter in a kitchen cupboard can be the most valuable thing in the box. Measure it and read the mark.
• Mixing it into Christmas. Thanksgiving pieces get lost in a holiday display. Give them their own shelf for the seven weeks they matter.

Linens and Table Extras

Hosts shopping for the big meal also buy the tablecloth. Printed cotton tablecloths from the 1950s with turkeys, pumpkins, or harvest fruit are steady sellers, and fall-themed napkins and runners round out a table display.

• 1950s printed turkey or harvest tablecloth: $20–$50
• Vera Neumann fall napkins or runner: $15–$40 a set
• Turkey-print kitchen towels: $5–$15
• Brass or wood turkey trivets and napkin rings: $5–$20

Check linens in daylight for stains and holes along the folds, where decades of storage leave brown lines. A styled table with a cloth, a platter, a pair of pilgrims, and a few candles sells the whole look, and buyers often take more than one piece.

Buying Thanksgiving for Next Year

The cheapest time to buy Thanksgiving decor is December through August, when estate sale shoppers ignore it. Turkey platters, Gurley candles, and ceramic turkeys bought for a few dollars in spring become October stock. Store candles somewhere cool, since wax warps in a hot garage or storage unit.

Have a turkey platter or a box of candles and want a number before you price it? Take a photo with PocketPrice and get a price calibrated to your market and how you sell. For the next holiday on the calendar, see our vintage Christmas decorations guide or browse the holiday and seasonal price guide.