In 1926, a shrewd art dealer in Greenwich Village, Edith Halpert, mounted a “Christmas Exhibition” with small oils, watercolors, and etchings priced $10 to $50. In the years that followed, collectors lined up outside her Downtown Gallery for the annual show, purchasing affordable works by little-known artists such as Stuart Davis, Charles Sheeler, and Georgia O’Keeffe.

Savvy collectors, such as Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, frequented these shows. They bought gifts, and oftentimes, a little something for themselves.

These Jazz Age exhibitions heralded the start of a venerable New York City holiday tradition. The city is filled with great places to buy art, antiques, jewelry, and other decorative desirables that won’t bring out the inner Scrooge. While the price brackets have increased a bit since the 1920s, it is still possible to find a credible artwork for $50. By sticking with contemporary artists, especially those who are emerging – or by concentrating on multiples, whether prints or photographs – it’s possible to find gifts that are attractive to both the eye and the pocketbook.

And while most people think auctions mean $104 million Picassos, many auction houses also provide affordable gift-giving options. Don’t go charging off to Crate & Barrel or Restoration Hardware for the latest mid-century knock-off. There are a number of sales coming up at houses around town where it’s possible to score the real deal: a serious canvas, a French moderne vase, or a mid-century sideboard, all for less than the price of a reproduction.

>>AUCTIONS

Instead of spending $2,500 for silver candlesticks at Tiffany, try Tepper Galleries, where flatware goes in the hundreds. Tepper’s bimonthly sales include everything from classic tomes on design and art, silver for the table, and all kinds of porcelain and crystal. Said Tepper’s Max Drazen: “At the end of the year we put less emphasis on wood. We have fewer armoires and more decorative things.” Tepper also offers gift certificates that allow the lucky recipient to bid on his own behalf. Tepper’s next auction is December 18 at 10 a.m., with preview on December 17 from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (110 E. 25th St., 212-677-5300)

The Upper East Side’s Doyle Galleries holds its annual Holiday Gift sale on December 15, with hundreds of items in good condition and ready-to-wrap. The auction includes crystal, silver, porcelain, and decorative whatnots from the Edwardian and Victorian eras. Prices range from a few hundred to the low thousands. And Doyle offers online bidding, so it’s possible to transform your mouse into a paddle and bid from home. (175 E. 87th St., 212-427-2730; www.doylenewyork.com)

Swann Galleries, the auction house for all that is artistic on paper, has a December auction loaded with gift potential. The December 16 Art Nouveau poster sale includes 140 lots with prices ranging from less than $2,000 to more than $15,000. The annual Nouveau sale does tip toward the high-end, but Swann says at least a third of the sale is estimated less than $2,000, so there should be plenty of fin-de-siecle cheer for all budgets. French Art Nouveau is not especially a la mode today, yet this turn-of-the century era reflected a sophisticated sense of design and a rollicking passion for good times. These posters, including magazine covers and Champagne advertisements, would liven up any New York abode. (104 E. 25th St., 212-254-4710; www.swanngalleries.com)

On December 15, Sotheby’s hammers down a sale of American paintings from its Arcade department, which specializes in artworks for the non-mogul. Works come from private collectors, corporations, and museums, and range from the glorious Hudson River school landscapes and a special section of Latin American artwork to the postwar moderns. Arcade sales include works in the low thousands. Here you’ll find some serious names, such as Milton Avery and William Sidney Mount, for less serious prices. To get the best deal, it’s wise to attend the sale in person; if something is getting little attention from other bidders, it’s possible to leap in and score. (1334 York Ave., 212-606-7000; www.sothebys.com)

Down in Chelsea, Phillips de Pury & Company, now considered one of the hippest auction houses around, is holding a contemporary art auction on December 13 that’s heavy on the prints, photographs, and multiples. The sale includes works by Jeff Koons, Maurizio Cattelan, and Martin Kippenberger, all artists who hit seven figures during Phillips’ recent high-end contemporary art sale. (450 W. 15th St., 212-940-1200)

The following day, on December 14, Phillips de Pury hosts a 20th-21st century design sale with an array of big-name designers, from Gio Ponti to Ron Arad. While some of the lots are for the serious collector only, there are a number that feature remarkably affordable design icons, such as several 1950 Jean Prouve chairs (lots 156, 157, and 159; $2,000-$2,500) and an ebony dish by the wood sensualist Alexandre Noll (lot 196, $1,000-$1,500).

>>GALLERIES

This insider’s favorite is Chelsea’s Printed Matter, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting artist publications. To raise funds, they sell limited-edition works by cutting-edge contemporary artists including Jeff Koons, Jenny Holzer, and Matthew Barney. (535 W. 22nd St., 212-925-0325; www.printedmatter.org)

Mixed Greens, a Chelsea gallery focused on emerging (hence affordable) artists, offers a spectrum of gift options. They are mounting a holiday sale through December 23. The most comprehensive option is a print portfolio they’ve compiled, in an edition of 75. For $4,000, it’s an instant collection; Mixed Greens provides six prints, one mailed every other month, plus invitations to attend studio visits with the artists. The gallery also offers a multitude of other well priced artworks, such as drawings by Joan Linder (small works on paper start around $500) and photographs by Holly Lynton ($2,000 for prints from an edition of five). The Web site functions as a gift registry, and will notify family and friends about artworks you’ve selected for your own personal collection. (601 West 26th St., 212-331-8888; www.mixedgreens.com)

>>PRINTS

One terrific print resource is Pace Prints, an arm of blue-chip central, Pace Wildenstein Gallery. Prices at Pace are modest for some of the younger artists on roster. Recent Whitney Biennial star James Siena’s small but striking geometrics cost $600 – from an edition of 60. Works by Sue Williams, another one to watch, start at $1,200 for colorful looping abstractions. (32 E. 57th St., 212-421-3237; www.paceprints.com)

A great resource for contemporary photography is Blind Spot, a magazine for both established and emerging photographers, which also publishes limited edition prints. Check out dramatic images by John Baldessari, Larry Sultan, James Wojcik, and Wendy Andringa, for less than $1,000. (210 Eleventh Ave., 212-633-1317; www.blindspot.com.)

Favored by art advisors, museum curators, and cognoscenti collectors, Two Palms Press remains one of the few print publishers in Manhattan. The husband and wife team of David and Evelyn Lasry, who head up the press, work with veteran names like Chuck Close and Kiki Smith, as well as a number of hot contemporary artists (Elizabeth Peyton and Matthew Ritchie) who have come to their SoHo loft atelier to make some paper magic. Standouts include Cecily Brown prints from editions of 28 for $2,800 (her paintings at Gagosian range $20,000-$80,000) and 674 365 817 378656 503 776 515stainless steel sculptures by Carroll Dunham, in editions of 15, for $4,500. (476 Broadway, 212-965-8598; www.twopalmspress.com)

For the potentially print-minded who might not feel confident diving in to make a purchase, consider contacting an art advisor. Sharon Coplan Hurowitz, who previously managed contemporary prints auctions at Sotheby’s, opened her advisory firm five years ago. Several of her gift selections, priced $50-$4,000, are listed in the chart below. (Ms. Hurowitz can be contacted at 212-879-9222 or Sharon@printgirl.com)

So consider art this gift-giving season: Taking advantage of creative talent can actually cost relatively little, but can make the gift-giver and recipient feel like a Rockefeller.

Ms. Pollock, the auction columnist of The New York Sun, is writing a book about Edith Halpert.