Mark Twain

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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

V is for Valentines (Nutcracker)




Many years ago I collected imported German Nutcrackers.  I have quite a collection.  One of my favorites is this Valentine Nutcracker.  I have no idea who he is supposed to represent, but the heart on his staff and on his hat, as well as his label identifies this guy as a Valentine Nutcracker.

Now he and all his companions are packed away, wrapped in tissue.  They are no longer displayed in my home.  My nutcracker collecting days are over.  It was a very expensive hobby (many ranged $200 to $300 a piece.)  They were also hard to display well, taking up a lot of space.  And as with most "collectables" they did not rise in value.  It is true that collections should exist for the love of it ... not as an investment.  These gentle men were loved.

It makes me a little sad that so many of my handsome wooden men are packed away (probably permanently), but it does give me pleasure to spot light one of these guys on A to Z.

8 comments:

Lynne said...

I can imagine a pretty fine collection when I see your Valentine Nut Cracker man. Ahhhh . . . . The collection era. I have many stored away in boxes. Some of my collection passions were Bing &Grondahl plates, Santa plates, Christmas, Rockwell and many others. Then there are the Hummels and Steiff stuffed animals. People moved on to other things . . . collections seem to not be the passion any more. What to do . . . with them all. I have boxes and boxes. What about you?

Anonymous said...

I've had collections over the years and one by one they were packed away...some I sold at a garage sale, some I gave away...I have a couple remaining but they are all family items that will remain with me 'til the day I croak (or I can find another family member willing to take them).

Changes in the wind said...

I would have never thought of someone collecting nutcrackers but he is a cute fellow...

Matthew MacNish said...

He looks very dapper.

Cat said...

I have one or two Nutcrackers, for Christmas. My collection that flows out of the closet and into the rest of the house (literally, at this point) is my Christmas Houses. I collected the It's A Wonderful Life pieces, then branched out.

He is a cute fellow, and a very good V!

Cat

happyone said...

That's an interesting collection and very pretty and colorful I'm sure.
I agree - only collect things you love.

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

Such a beautiful Nutcracker. Maybe you could display your collection one Nutcracker at a time for the different holidays.
http://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com Theme: A World of Crime

Linda said...

I have never stuck with one collectable long enough to aquire all that many of anything but lots of different stuff - some Hummles (my favorites are the ones that came from husband's grandmother and have the heads glued back on. He knocked the shelf unit over as a child and couldn't understand why everyone was so excited!) and a few salt cellars are my favorites.