The Good: Great detail, Heft, Relative lack of expense, Balance
The Bad: None!
The Basics: Surprising Harry Potter fans on the franchise's big weekend, Hallmark released a limited edition Keepsake Ornament of The Golden Snitch, which is already an incredible collectible!
Last year, I was exceptionally surprised when I went into a Hallmark store in November and saw an ornament I had never seen before. It was a Harry Potter ornament called "A Gift For Dobby" (reviewed here!) and what made it so special was that it was one of the Limited Edition Harry Potter ornaments that had been released special for the Preview Weekend and had sold out virtually everywhere else in the world by the time I encountered the one I saw. This year, I was determined not to make the same mistake and I went out early and discovered there was, indeed, a brand new Harry Potter Limited Edition ornament. So, while fans have been flocking to the movie theaters breaking records with the last installment of the Harry Potter films, Hallmark has been treating fans to an exceptionally limited edition ornament of The Golden Snitch.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, The Golden Snitch is in each and every Harry Potter film, but the one Harry Potter caught in his first Quidditch match plays an important role in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (click here for my review of that!). Letting Harry Potter know that it "opens at the close," the golden snatch provided Harry Potter with a valuable artifact in his fight against Voldemort.
Now, fans can thrill to the limited edition ornament, at least those who are lucky enough to find them. In the city I live in, they have already sold out at all twelve of the Hallmark stores around town!
Basics
"The Golden Snitch" ornament is a very simple ornament of the magical artifact made of solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2011, is an incredibly ornament which is impressive for its likeness to the prop, both in coloring and sculpt. While some fans might wish they could confess their willingness to die and have it open to reveal a treasure, "The Golden Snitch" is a solid ornament that looks just like the virtual model from the movies.. Measuring 5" long, 2 1/2" wide and 1 1/2" tall, "The Golden Snitch" has virtually sold out at the Hallmark stores during the Preview Weekend at the original issue price of $12.95.
The Hallmark "The Golden Snitch" ornament is made of a durable plastic and is the simple ball with wings. It has all of the appropriate lines of texture on the globe portion of the snitch and the feathered gunmetal and black wings that extend back are both sculpted and colored accurately. This version of "The Golden Snitch" is clearly from the two Deathly Hallows films because it has Dumbledore's message to Harry Potter printed in tiny letters across the front. There, it says "I open at the close."
The Hallmark sculptors capture Quidditch snitch perfectly, as if they had access to the digital models used to create the virtual prop. That being the case, fans of Harry Potter will be quite impressed by the sculpt and detail of the beloved object.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "The Golden Snitch" could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament and its wings do not move, so it has both simplicity and the potential for durability going for its long term prospects. For its size, the ornament is not at all overpriced, especially with the virtual guarantee that it will appreciate in value.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "The Golden Snitch" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate fantasy Christmas Tree, "The Golden Snitch" ornament is a great addition, but hardly an essential one. The ornament has a brass hook loop that comes out of the top, back of the globe section. Hung from there with a standard Christmas tree hook, this is a remarkably stable ornament that only sways when it (or the tree) is bumped. "The Golden Snitch" ornament is exceptionally well-balanced.
Collectibility
Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for that review!). Since then, they have delved into virtually every other collectible franchise in an attempt to cash in on every major license. The Harry Potter series has had several ornaments made for it, but none of them have truly exploded in value, save the "A Gift For Dobby" ornament before this. But, given how the "The Golden Snitch" ornament was produced in limited quantities and almost all outlets sold out of it at their Sneak Preview weekend already, this is already exploding in price on the secondary market!
In other words, this might be one of the better investment pieces for the Harry Potter ornament line.
Overview
It has been a long time since I truly found myself gushing over a Hallmark ornament, but Hallmark gets it absolutely right with "The Golden Snitch." This is perfect and for the Harry Potter fans who have not yet tracked one down, buy them while they are still even available in the secondary market!
For other Harry Potter or fantasy ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2010 "The Pensieve" ornament
2009 "Harry! Happy Birthday!" ornament
2010 Bella And Edward Twilight ornament
This is one of the ornaments I proudly sell in my online store. Check out my current inventory of it by clicking here!
10/10
For other ornament reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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