'World's most humble Christmas tree' to go up for auction
A 103-year-old Christmas tree dubbed the "most humble in the world" is to go up for auction - and experts believe it could fetch up to £80.
The 31-inch artificial tree was originally bought in 1920 in the aftermath of the First World War.
It served as Loughborough resident Dorothy Grant's Christmas tree from her time as a little girl up until her death in 2014, at the age of 101.
The tree, with its 25 spaced-out branches and 12 fake berries, is now going up for auction, having passed down to her daughter, Shirley Hall.
Experts say similar trees have been sold for up to £420 in the past. However, they expect this one to sell for between £60 and £80.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: "It has to be the humblest Christmas tree in the world. But as simple as it was, Dorothy loved it.
"It represented the magic of Christmas and became a staple part of family celebrations for decades.
"The fact that it brought such joy to Dorothy is humbling in itself. It reminds us that extravagance and excess are not required to capture the spirit of Christmas.
"For Dorothy, it was enough to have a tree. It may appear sparse to us today, but to her, it was special. She enjoyed decorating it with cotton wool to make it look as if it was sprinkled with snow."
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Mr Hanson said the tree was likely purchased from the now-defunct high street chain Woolworths, which started selling some of the first mass-produced artificial trees in the early 1920s.
Artificial trees were usually made from dyed feathers until the first bristle-style artificial tree was made by Addis Housewares Company in 1930.
Hanson said the tree was "one of the earliest Christmas trees of its type we have seen".
A similar example, purchased in Scotland for the equivalent of 6p in 1937, sold for £150 at Hansons in 2019.
Another example, found in Derby, sold for £420 in 2017. It was secured by the American Christmas Tree Association.
"The power of nostalgia could help this tree find a special home too. It may appeal to a museum," Mr Hanson said.
"The seller is parting with the tree to honour her mother's memory and to ensure it survives as a humble reminder of 1920s life."
The tree will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers' Banbury sale on Friday.
