As the Christmas season nears, you may be readying your home with nostalgic décor and table settings. Thrivent, too, will be pulling out its beautiful collection of Christmas plates.
Thrivent’s Corporate Archives hold a complete collection of Danish Christmas plates from 1895–2015 (Bing & Grøndahl) and 1908–2015 (Royal Copenhagen). These two firms create annual Christmas plates showcasing traditional holiday themes and Danish motifs. For example, Julehjerter, the Danish woven heart ornaments, are seen decorating many Christmas trees.
Each firm creates a new prototype every year, produces a set number of plates and then destroys the prototypes. This limits the number of plates available and enhances their desirability as collectors’ items.
Elias Rasmussen, a Norwegian-born pastor living in Minneapolis, began collecting Christmas plates in the 1940s. A proud Norwegian, he led relief efforts for Norway during World War II and was knighted by King Haakon for his work. Lutheran Brotherhood acquired the plates from Rasmussen in 1956; Thrivent continued to collect them through 2015.
Thrivent’s collection includes novelties such as the Bing & Grøndahl Jubilee plates issued every five years since 1915 and the 12.5-inch Bing & Grøndahl plates issued from 1908–1911.
The collection also features the Royal Copenhagen “Thief” plate, an unofficial prototype plate that mysteriously made it onto the market in 1911. That year, two plates were issued by Royal Copenhagen. The “Thief” plate was not the prototype chosen as the official plate. Legend has it that production workers stole several prototypes, allowing this plate to survive and become a collector’s item.
Lauren Gaines is Thrivent’s corporate historian and archives manager.
