The Christmas Catalog

[edit]"His and Hers" & "Fantasy" gifts

100th Anniversary Edition Christmas catalog 2007

In 1969 customers could buy a $10,600 kitchen computer to help with recipes

Since 1939, Neiman Marcus has issued an annual Christmas catalog, which gets much free publicity from the national media for a tradition of unusual and extravagant gifts not sold in its stores. Some have included the 'his and hers' themed item, trips and cars (see below).

In 1952, Stanley Marcus introduced a new tradition of having extravagant and unusual gifts in each year's Christmas catalog,

 The Christmas Book; the idea was sparked when journalist Edward R. Murrow contacted Marcus to ask if the store would be offering anything unusual that might interest his radio listeners; Marcus invented on the spot an offering of a live Black Angus bull accompanied by a sterling silver barbecue cart, subsequently altering the catalog to include his new idea, priced at $1,925.^[16][17][18] At one point, the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog carried the distinction of being the item most stolen from recipients' mailboxes, prompting a Chicago postmaster to suggest the company switch to enclosing the catalogs in plain brown wrappers.^[19]

2010

The 2010 fantasy spotlight gift is the 2010 Jaguar Supercharged Nieman Marcus Edition.  According to this year's catalog, only 50 will every exist. 

                  

It sells for a cool $105,000.00.  At that price, you might want to grab a couple!

 

  Here are a few other Fantasy Gifts:from previous years:

pre-1965

• Toy tiger draped and decorated with diamonds and other precious stones — $1 million


• Ermine bathrobe, $6,975


• His and Her airplanes, matched pair — $176,000


• Chinese junk (advertised as "Junk for Christmas") — $11,700 shipped to the Port of Houston

1964

• His and hers hot air balloons — $6,850

1965

• A gold toilet seat advertised as "a 24 kt. Gold plated throne"— $250


• Handspun lace handkerchief -- $300


• Empress Chinchilla coat — $8,975


• His and Her para-sails — $361 each


• "The Pets' Cookbook" and chocolate scented rubber bone — $10.


• Man's western style hat — $250


• Pine wood play wagon for children — $145


• Video tape recorder and camera — $1,345


• One 14-ounce tin of fresh caviar — $130 (flown fresh to customer on request)

1970

• Pleasure cruise along the Florida coast — $35,000 (sold to a Miami charitable organization that then offered tickets for $200–$1,000 donations)


• Lucite bathtub with aquarium — $5,000


• His and Her Thunderbird autos


• "For optimists": $10 live oak trees


• "For pessimists": a Noah's ark with all endangered species aboard — $588,247

(No arks were sold, but over 1,000 trees were purchased.)

1974

• the "N-Bar-M Christmas Book Mouse Ranch," 12 square feet (1.1 m²), "for anyone who ever dreamed of being a cattle baron in miniature": acrylic corrals and fences, silverplated "roundup tweezers," mesa, cacti, pastures, feed barn, watering tanks, feed bins, and a windmill (but no mice) — $3,500


• 106 carats (21 g) polished black boulder opal — $150,000, not eligible for charge purchases


• Russian natural sable jacket, $12,000

• An imperial sacrificial robe worn by a Chinese emperor, circa 1770 — $6,000

• Bronze spearheads from the Persian Wars (1500 to 700 B.C.E.) — $35

1975

• In honor of the United States Bicentennial, autographed letters from George and Martha Washington, $8,500 for the set

1978

• Solid milk chocolate Monopoly set, $600

1979

• Dirigible — $50,000

1998

• Aston Martin DB7 — 10 special black cars for the 1998 Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog

2002

• Collection of paintings by Andy Warhol, "The Athlete's Series," $3,000,000


• Neiman Marcus Limited Edition 2004 Cadillac XLR, $85,000


• NM Limited Edition Burberry Taxi, $58,900


• "His and Her" Personalized Action Figures, $7,500

2003

• His and Hers Robots, $400,000


• NM Limited-Edition BMW 645Ci Coupe, $75,170


• Luxury Ice Fishing House, starts at $27,000


• Mermaid suit, comes with a mermaid tail, faux pearl top, and swimming lessons, $10,000


• 44 carats (8.8 g) diamond ring, yellow diamond, can be inscribed with up to 2,000 characters, $800,000


• Bombardier Learjets, $7,737,000 to $12,743-000

2004

• Limited-Edition Maserati Quattroporte, $125,000


• Custom suit of armor, $20,000


• Modern Zeppelin NT, $10,000,000


• Grand Ole Opry Experience, $25,000


• NM "Las Vegas" Trike, $65,000


• Underwater Aviator, $1,700,000


• Haute Couture Valentino Gown, $325,000

2005

• Private concert with Elton John, $1.5 million


• IndyCar Series Simulator, $65,000 to $75,000


• Collection of Jewels with eight significant pieces of jewelry spanning the last three centuries, $1.2 million


• Dreamboat Limited-Edition Levitating Sculpture, $18,000 to $90,000


• NM Limited-Edition 2007 Lexus GS 450h, $65,000


• His & Hers Custom Photobooth, $20,000


• Grand Empire Railroad, $200,000


• Skycar Prototype, $3.5 million


• Tree Sculpture (an adult treehouse), $50,000

2006

• Virgin Galactic Charter to Space, $1.7 million


• Pencil Skyscraper by The Art Guys, $6,000 or $40,000


• His and Hers Twike Communicator Vehicle (Zero emission electric car system), $40,000


• GC Quad, $56,465


• Membership at The Club at Castiglion del Bosco, $3.8 million


• Jacques Fath Archives, $3.5 million


• Limited edition pet homes, $5,000 and $7,000


• Backyard Water Park, starts at $100,000


• All-Star Sports Celebrity Dream Package: Charity Auction, starts at $250,000


• Limited-Edition 2007 BMW M6 Convertible, $139,000

2008

• A backyard golf course custom-designed by Jack Nicklaus.


• $10 million Kentucky horse farm, complete with a stable of up to 15 thoroughbreds.


• Life-size Lego replicas of you and your beloved for $60,000


• $250,000 authentic Guinness pub


• $110,000 for a chance to shoot some hoops with the Harlem Globetrotters.


• $110,000 fighter motorcycle


• 35-year collection of every 45 rpm record listed on the Billboard Top 100 Rock and Pop charts through the end of 1990


• A Dallas Cowboys end zone in your backyard for $500,000.


• Limited-Edition 2009 BMW Individual 7 Series Sedan, $160,000


• "Lions Rouge" Precious Rebel art guitar by Amanda Dunbar for $22,500

2009

• A customizable cupcake car for $25,000