Norman Rockwell seems to be a dog on the market these days as far as collectables are concerned. And in the 50's Norman Rockwell was still doing magazine art and covers for SE Post.
I have never seen items like you describe so maybe they are different.
All I know is there is a lot of Norman Rockwell Christmas stuff on eBay without even one bid.
Linda C

Here are some pics.

{{gwi:1392438}}
{{gwi:1392439}}

You know, I do not believe they were from that era. When you look at the types of ornaments sold back then, these don't even come close. I really think they are from the 80-90's when the Currier and Ives cups and stuff like that started showing up and the companies sold them as "collectibles." Looking at the Rockwell ornaments on eBay, these look like Taiwan knockoffs which should have that little sticker on the back. They are not well made, the one of the left doesn't even conform to the shape of the artwork and does anyone remember that twine before the country cute decade? (unless your grandmother was using it to actually tie up something.) This is about the same time as the dollar stores starting showing up in my areas.

I like Rockwell and have a couple of prints in my home. I might pay a buck or two if I saw these at a garage sale. I would ask the owners if they had any sources of value you might refer to. Those family stories really get in the way with lots of household goods.

Gloria