Hildegard’s Toy Emporium

Erzgebirge Nutcracker Guard Soldier Miner 1960s Vintage large 14 inches made in Germany

€200 ~ $228

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Antique and vintage European teddy bears, dolls, Steiff animals and toys from where they were made!
Handling, worldwide shipping and insurance are included in our prices!
This Shop is rated Gold - 100 or more sales Trusted Gold Seller since 2019
Here comes a vintage nutcracker soldier or guard or even a miner (we do not know for sure)! The solid wood nutcracker was made in the 1960s in the German Erzgebirge in one of the famous toy towns, Seiffen or Olbernhau and sadly, lost its original box. Our nutcracker guard / miner with a large golden star on its cap, and obviously in gala uniform stands 36 cm / 14 ¼ inches tall and is in very good vintage condition!
Only on the left side of the uniform the first button ( a sequence) is lost as you can see in the photographs, the right pupil misses some colour, and on the right side beneath the belt is some colour smear, but the whole figurine is all fine! It can all be seen in the photographs!

The traditional Erzgebirge folk art nutcracker is made of solid turned and cut wood, with a mechanism to open its mouth and crack nuts – as you can see, a walnut of average size is no problem for the king cracker! The white hair and beard are synthetic fibres!
The old Nutcracker king is hand painted in bright colours and comes out in the wintertime when nuts are freshly cracked and consumed. A fine old Christmas tradition with a practical background!
Is there anybody not thinking of Tchaikovsky’s 1892 two-act classical ballet and not instantly hearing the music in one’s head?

The old folk art figurine has no label or stamp on it , but we are sure this nutcracker was made in the GDR, an Ester German state, existing from 1949 to 1990. This state expropriated all private businesses, and so all the old Erzgebirge (often family-) firms making their famous toys. GDR regime forced them all into state owned business associations and had over 80 single specific places of production throughout the Erzgebirge, Seiffen and Olbernhau were two of them. This is why Erzgebirge items of these times have different (or none) firm tags/names, other than before (and often after, when these conglomerates were dissolved again). The quality of the items is quite the same, and as high as expected!

Our old nutcracker here would be happy to join your vintage Christmas decorations, or your German folk art collection, it is fit for cracking nuts anytime of the year! A splendid gift for yourself or your loved ones!

Please, be aware that this listing is for the shown German vintage Erzgebirge nutcracker ONLY! All other items you see in the photographs will not come with the old nutcracker! We do have more vintage Christmas items (and more nutcrackers!) listed:

To find more antique & vintage treasures, please have a look into our store: https://www.rubylane.com/shop/hildegards-toy-emporium

*Please notice: This vintage wooden nutcracker does not belong in the hands of small children; he may not fulfill the safety standards for toys in our time. So, this old item is not a children’s toy, but an adult collector’s item for display & decoration only!

Handling, worldwide shipping and insurance are included in our prices! We will ship all items in an insured package or registered letter on Priority Mail and provide a tracking number. Exceptions may apply in times of international crisis, such as pandemic or war!

There can hardly be anything more sustainable and eco-friendlier than caring for an old, vintage or even antique plush friend, teddy bear, doll, or plaything of any kind. Besides all the history they carry, it is also a responsible way to give yourself or a loved one a gift! Do not worry about international shipping, at Hildegard’s Toy Emporium we strive to use recycled and eco-friendly packing material, and we ship with a trusted carrier.

Handling, worldwide shipping and insurance are included in our prices! Exceptions may apply in times of international crisis, such as pandemic and war.
Item id: RL - 1785
Color: Black, Blue, Red, Yellow
Item type: Vintage