When you think about a "Christmas plate", you probably envision a dish of holiday sugar cookies piled high by your kids as a "thank you" to Santa for his visit. 

Well, if Santa's anything like Leon, he's more interested in the value of the plate than in the flavor of the cookies!

 Christmas plates are collectibles. Many companies come out with a new plate each year, in a tradition that started in the late 19th Century. In 1895, a company called Bing and Groendahl offered Behind the Frozen Window, and it sold of 60 cents. 

 A new century brought a new "contender" for the hearts of Chrismas shoppers. And in 1908, the Royal Copenhagen company got into the spirit of the season with their Madonna with Child plate. Both were immediate "must haves"

 So how did those decorative plates end up as cookie carriers?

 Blame it on the Danish!

 B & G and Royal Copenhagen were both based in Denmark. The tradition in that country is to give the hired help plates of homemade goodies at Christmas time - cake like aebleskivers, spicy sebernodder, and sweet, buttery spritz cookies. (You could gain weight just thinking about 'em!).

 You can't put a price on homemade, but you can put a price on vintage Christmas plates. The first Royal Copenhagen plate lists at $5,000 and the first B&G plate can run anywhere from $6,000 - $8,000.

 Ho, ho, holy cow! You can buy a lot of cookies with that money.

 This story is an excerpt from: "Betcha Didn't Know That! 101 Antiques and Collectibles Trivia Tips That Can Make You Rich, Famous, and Hit of the Party, Vol One" by Leon Castner and Brian Kathenes.

Illustrated is a 1921 Royal Copenhagen Christmas Plate. Click Plate for more information.