  Precious Moments Celebrating
The Gift Of Life Now And Forever Figurine  |
Precious Moments was known as a series of collectible porcelain figurines in the market since 1977.
The original artwork was created by Sam Butcher in the 1970s. His artwork depicted young children with distinctive eyes and were often accompanied by inspirational messages - which are also found on the products. Christian themes appeared throughout his work, as Butcher was a born-again Christian.
Sam Butcher originally started scribbling the characters on cards and letters to friends and families. Butcher and his friend Bill Biel started a small company under the name of Jonathan & David (J&D) to produce and sell his art on a line of cards and posters. J&D sold some greeting cards at flea markets but sales were meager and localized at first. The big break came at the Christian Booksellers Association Convention in Anaheim, California. Butcher remembers being so busy that they had to have neighboring vendors come over to help him and Biel fill orders.
Butcher's work was noticed by Eugene Freedman from Enesco in 1975. Enesco searched for more than a year looking for a porcelain designer to satisfy Sam's vision. In 1977, the porcelain figurines were introduced to US retailers, and officially started its retail career in 1978.
At first, the porcelain figurines were sold under the J&D name, but during the mid 1980s (J&D under stamps can be found up until 1986), due to differences in business policies with Biel, J&D was dissolved. Enesco took over the distributorship from then on. Also around the same time, Butcher set up the "Sam Butcher Foundation" and "Precious Moments, Inc." to separate his private assets from the business. By 1988, Enesco artists were drawing the production designs instead of Sam Butcher himself. This practice continued on after PMI's reign.[11]
Years passed, and according to the trade magazine Gift Beat, Precious Moments became one of the top porcelain collectible brand in the United States during the mid 1980s to 1990s. But in 1997, sales peaked and by the turn of the millennium, Enesco could not generate enough revenue to pay PMI it's minimum licensing fees of 15 million US dollars. Enesco attempted to renegotiate with PMI but was unsuccessful, and in 2005, the two companies went their separate ways. |
