Nativity Sets Literature
Markings Code: (A)=Diamond I, (B)=Hartland Molded, Hartland Wisc., (C)= Hartland Plastics Inc, Hartland Wisc., (NM)= Not Marked
Nativity Set Literature, Documents and Ads:
Considering how many years it appears Hartland Plastics sold Nativity Sets, it is amazing how little documentation we've been able to find! This page documents the few finds to date.
Midnight Clear Sheet:
The sheet on the left was shipped with some Nativity Sets, including the Standard Color set and the Bright Color set. Unfortunately, few survive, so it is possible the sheet did not accompany every set originally. The sheet could have been printed and used at any time between about 1953 and 1958, give or take a year in either direction.

The last line in the ribbon reads, "If Camel and Camel Driver are included, they go with the Wise Men", indicating the page was in use with several configurations. The Gloria Angel used in the illustration appears to be the larger one. That indicates the sheet was probably printed prior to 1957 (using John Plain Books (catalogs as guides).

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(1955)Dealer Jobber Sheet:
This a smaller section of a Dealer Jobber Sheet from what I believe was printed for the 1955 sets (based on Horse and Rider listings that accompanied this sheet). Click here to see the first of three large sheets. The sheet lists several configurations for the Nativity Sets in the 7" size, categorized as 235 sets. The smaller 4" set was designated at 236 series. I have seen the 4" Gloria Angel and the 4" White Three-Piece Nativity set, but I have never seen a Three-Piece Painted set at that size. Sande Schneider reports seeing the 235-ST Stable Set in a plain cardboard box.
 
John Plain Books - Catalogs

1956 John Plain Catalog

1958 John Plain Catalog
It has taken a while, but I've finally located a few catalogs containing Hartland Nativity Sets. I show only the 1956 and the 1958 catalog images here, but actually the 1955 catalog has the identical set as the 1956 catalog and the 1957 catalog shows the same set as the 1958 catalog. There are a few clues in these two photos. The dark laces on a couple of shepherds in the black and white photo indicate the set contained shepherds with dark hair and glazing on their capes. (Not the bright colored set)
John Plain Book/Catalogs:
The John Plain company was located in Chicago, IL and began selling mail order products in 1916 or 1917 (The 1960 catalog says it was their 44th year). Based on the postal rates dates supplied in each catalog, they were actually printed some time in August or September of the year prior to the date on the front and ends of the books. So, sets shown in the catalog for one year were actually sets the manufacturers had ready in the late summer or early fall of the previous year. The catalogs were mailed out prior to the Christmas season and customers would be buying items from a 1955 book in the last month or two of 1954. This little point is only important if trying to date the sets. For example, the smaller Gloria Angel first appeared in the 1957 catalog, indicating that variation was actually available in July or August of 1956.

Working with so little solid documents and clues, we are forced to take some documents on their face value until something else surfaces, causing us to make adjustments. For example, the 1955 and 1956 John Plain Books show the same photo. So, I can initially assume the set photographed was available to distributors in July or August of 1954. In the last paragraph, I have to conclude the smaller angel was first available in 1956, but I can never know IF it might have actually been available in 1955, but John Plain might have used the 1955 catalog photo again—even if the angel had been changed.

 
Unknown Ad

Marty Ohman found this clipped ad inside one of his Nativity sets and passed it along to me. Any ordering information that might have come with this ad must have been cut off. The back side of the ad had a Niagra Spray Starch advertisement. We have no idea of the year of publication.

Of note here:
The Gloria Angel is shown seems to be the white version, and not the Blue Angel. With the white boots and black laces, it is surely one of the Standard Color sets.

 


1959 Montgomery Wards Christmas Catalog
I am still working on trying to document the sequencing, but I am fairly sure the all white set was Hartland's last version of their Nativity Sets, sold normally in the smaller, decorated red and green box. Unlike the John Plain yearly catalogs, this piece was in the Mongtomery Wards Christmas Catalog and was apparently ready in this configuration by the late summer of 1959. I had originally suggested this set might have been packaged by a third party, and I could still be correct.
One of these sets showed up on eBay in November of 2004, but it lacked the second and third tier of the red base. The starburst above came from that set. Unfortunately, the seller did not know the base was actually part of the set and threw it away just after photographing the 17 piece set. Interestingly, the star burst was made out of cardboard. That at least suggests to me that a third party repackaged this set for sale through Wards. The set had a small Hartland red and green decorated box, but unfortunately the section on the box that normally has the name "Hartland" had been cut off the box.
 

Text & Photographs Copyright Mike Jackson 1998-2008
This page last modified Friday, October 19, 2007