Collecting Wooden Toy Soldier-Style Nutcrackers

The Americans love the wooden toy soldier nutcracker so often associated with Christmas, and many have a collection of their own as large or larger than the displays seen in department stores.  This type of nutcracker made an appearance around 1800 in Germany, and by 1872 Wilhelm Füchtner had started a nutcracker production, making many of one design with his lathe.  He was named ‘The Father of the Nutcrackers’ because his body design has been continually used by most of the German makers.  The Füchtner family, now in its 6^th generation, continues to make nutcrackers in the same workshop at Seiffen in the Erzgebirge, and every collector of German nutcrackers should have at least one of these “original” nutcrackers.

The family of Christian Ulbricht, now including members of its 4^th generation, is the most prolific of nutcracker makers today. With factories humming both in Bavaria and the Erzgebirge, they strive to meet the great demand for their products.  The quality of their designs is superb, and their natural wood finishes win hearty accolades from collectors.  From the smallest size to the large Premier size, there is no better choice than an Ulbricht nutcracker.

Christian Steinbach started his factory soon after WWII and reigned as ‘King of the Nutcrackers’ until his death in 2007. Unlike the Ergzebirge  makers who basically made military type figures, he introduced many different figures with rich cloth costumes such as Sir Galahad, Thief of Bagdad, and The Twelve Days of Christmas. He also made signing trips to the US which endeared him to his collectors.  His stylish and often flamboyant designs still demand a huge price on the secondary market, and you can often find items with a Christian Steinbach signature that will increase the value.  Although the Steinbach factory in the Erzgebirge still produces nutcrackers , it is now under new ownership and no member of the family is involved in its production.

Other larger Erzgebirge factories such as Richard Glasser, KWO (Kunstgewerbe Werkstatten Olbernau), Legler, and Seiffener Volkskunst produce quality nutcrackers, each with its own variance on the traditional body style.  Smaller workshops such as Gunter Ulbricht, Mueller, Zeidler Holkunst and Olaf Kolbe provide a variety of nutcrackers for the collector.

If you are interested in older turned Erzgebirge nutcrackers, you may run across others in addition to the Füchtner family who were producing nutcrackers from the beginning of the 20^th century.  You can sometimes find the names of Julius Glässer and Richard Langer in antique shops or at estate sales.  Remember the early nutcrackers were not only used to crack nuts but were also toys for children. so, it is difficult to find one that does not show damage from ____use.

Between 1949 and 1990, the Soviet Union was in control of the Erzgebirge, and exported products were marked with ‘Expertic’ or ‘GDR’ (German Democratic Republic).  ‘Vero’ was the brand name used for nutcrackers produced in the Seiffen factory originally owned by the Ulbricht family when it was taken over by the Soviet Union.

Some collectors buy only those of a single maker while others gather from many makers.  Some collect only soldiers, or kings, or sports figures, or Santas, or nutcrackers that represent the activities of the family.  Some buy only small sizes to fit certain shelves, while others like  gigantic figures to make a statement. Some only put their nutcrackers out at Christmas time while others collect those that fit into the yearly holidays and festivals. 

When collecting nutcrackers, Remember, it is your collection so you should collect those you truly like, those that bring you keen pleasure and delight.