Lift ij s If youre you're looking for a anew anew new gift Idea yet one that holds the warmth of Christ Christ- Christmas Christmas mas tradition then consid- consid consider er collectors collector's plates The giving of collectors collector's plates at Christmas has be- be become become come particularly popular in the last decade even though the tradition dates back to 1895 when Danish Bing Gr issued the first limited limited-edi- tion collectors collector's plate Be hind the Frozen Window Today nearly seven mil mil- lion persons worldwide col- col collect collect lect plates according to The Bradford Exchange the worlds world's largest trading cen- cen center center ter for collectors collector's plates The diversity of de- de design design sign color material theme and country of origin means that you could probably find a plate which would appeal to any person on your list Collectors Collector's plates may feature two two- dimensional pic- pic pictures pictures tures or three dimensional sculptures They may be made by one of more than 62 companies in 12 countries Collectors Collector's plates are primarily manly marily round but some are square They can be wafer wafer- thin fine china china or earthen earthen- earthenware earthenware ware sliver silver crystal pewter or even wood Themes range from the traditional Christ Child and Mother to Snoopy as Santa Others depict fa fa- fa pious cathedrals stained glass windows or Danish yule time scenes The tradition of plate giving at Christmas is easy to continue because most makers issue a new Christ Christ- Christmas mas mas plate each year Thus the gift of a Christmas plate to a new collector can be the beginning of an In in- in interesting new hobby For a free brochure on A Brief Introduction to the Collectors Collector's Plate Mar Mar- Market ket please write to Tom Gradel The Bradford Ex Ex- Ex Exchange change PO Box Chi Chi Chi- Chicago cago IL