Rappl says the museum is a fun place to visit, but the museum’s mission is clear. As stated in its mission statement, the staff wants everyone to understand “the importance of nuts in the diets of humans throughout history and in the evolution of the nutcracker.”
Wagner explains, “No other tool or collectible has shown such a wide diversity of material and design as the implements used to crack the hard shell of the nut.” She adds, “Many factors – from purely practical to purely stylistic and expressive – have contributed to the evolution of the nutcracker form, functionality, and character. These factors include advances in production techniques, the availability of materials, styles of the times, consumer demand, and even changes in the nuts themselves.”
The Pickwick nutcracker collection Mike Pickwick and his wife, Linda, are also avid carved wood nutcracker collectors. They have collected antiques since the 1970s and have since discovered the love of antique nutcrackers. They find the book Ornamental and Figural Nutcrackers: An Identification and Value Guide
The Pickwicks first purchased a carved wooden nutcracker, an eagle with glass eyes, at local antique show. Their oldest is from 1690: a barrel-type screw nutcracker with the date faintly carved on the barrel. [Mike learns much from the Nutcrackers Collector’s Club newsletters.]
This painted soldier nutcracker is Mike Pickwick’s favorite. The nutcracker is from mid-1800 France and stands 10-1/2”. The lever nutcracker cracks a nut by lifting the knapsack on the back.
Courtesy of the Mike and Linda Pickwick Collection
Mike cares for his wooden nutcrackers by using a quality paste wax such as Minwax Finishing Paste Wax . He says, “I generally wax our pieces every three months, or so as needed. Polishing brings out a rich deep patina on the piece. It prevents drying and cracking.”
A tidbit Mike has learned about wooden antique nutcrackers along the way is that although master carvers would only produce the elaborately carved nutcrackers for the wealthy and royalty, the other classes enjoyed nutcrackers, too.
Pickwick says, “Peasants would carve nutcrackers as love tokens, for personal use, and to sell at fairs, and as gifts.”
The European carving tradition Of the European carving tradition, Wagner says, “By the 15th and 16th centuries, carvers in France and England were creating beautiful wooden nutcrackers.” Artisans would use woods from their locales, such as fruitwood, lignum vitae, maple, beech, and walnut. Many preferred boxwood because of the fine grain and uniform color.
Because life was simpler centuries ago, master carvers could spend time on these for the wealthy and royalty. Subjects included the royalty themselves, political figures, animals, book characters, and townspeople. Wagner says that royalty would treat master carvers as famous painters and composers at court. Because household staff would take care of the nobles’ nutcrackers, they stood the test of time.
A 1750s lever nutcracker from France carved from fruitwood standing 9-1/2″.
Courtesy of the Mike and Linda Pickwick Collection
The Anri Company Anri is an Italian company famous for its carved wood nutcrackers. In the 19th century, before men had constructed paved roads and even railways in Italy’s Groden Valley, local wood carvers would trek across mountainous passes to sell their wares in European markets. Anton Riffeser (born 1887), of St. Christina in Groden Valley, learned carving from his father. Riffeser joined Austria’s Tyrolean Guard when World War I broke out. He fought at the Russian Front.
The Russians captured Riffeser and sent him to a Siberian prisoner of war camp. While there, Riffeser and his friends practiced their carving skills, often using Russian peasants as models. During his imprisonment, Riffeser devised a plan for his company and learned English. When the war ended, he and his friends returned to the village of St. Christina ready for business. He founded the Anri company in 1920.
Anton named his company Anri using the first two letters of his first and last names. The business grew rapidly and the company produced many types of painted figural lever nutcrackers, as well as other wood carvings. You can see many of the Anri nutcrackers in the book, Anri Woodcarvings
Nutcracker collectibility and values A late 19th century frog nutcracker carved in France out of fruitwood stands 4″ tall and 7″ long. Place a nut in the frog’s mouth and lift the lever tail to crack it.
Courtesy of the Mike and Linda Pickwick Collection
Nutcrackers are not as popular as they once were. But there are still those who love to collect different characters of the wooden toy soldier type, and those who collect different figural nutcrackers.
There are no limits to the forms that nutcrackers take. For example, find a walnut-shaped nutcracker in Germany. And ibex and dragon nutcrackers in Russia.
Other creative antique nutcrackers feature glass and ivory eyes. One nutcracker from Anri has eyes that change colors from blue to brown when you lift the lever.
Some include whistles in the levers, presumably to call the servants to bring the nuts. Victorian era carvers designed walking sticks with nutcrackers.
Nutcracker values A dog nutcracker, late 1800s, carved for Paris Exposition, France, out of hardwood, 10-1/2” tall.
Courtesy of the Mike and Linda Pickwick Collection
The quality of the construction, the materials, and condition all affect value. As do the maker and age of the nutcracker. Even very old nutcrackers don’t have to cost a lot of money. At the lower end of the price spectrum, an Anri nutcracker in the form of a monk with some surface wear to the paint sold for $30.
One can buy many different types of quality antique nutcrackers for a few hundred dollars. For example, a pair of 1881 Sheffield English silver nutcrackers sold in February 2012 for $300. An 1800s folk art wood screw press nutcracker with a ram’s head, in excellent condition, sold in October 2012 for $275.
Walking stick nutcrackers are unusual to find, but still relatively affordable. In August 2016, a 19th century carved beech gadget cane with screw nutcracker sold for $300. Also, a circa 1890 English hooded monk screw nutcracker cane sold for $900 in April 2013.
Creeping up in value, perhaps because of its fragility, an antique Meissen porcelain and brass screw nutcracker from the late 19th century, in overall to fair condition, sold in November 2011 for $750.
Some antique percussion nutcrackers are hard to find, yet still not very expensive. A carved bone Alaskan percussion nutcracker sold for $220 in December 2014. A circa 1900 cast iron percussion nutcracker, titled “Tough Nut,” in a form of a sailor seated on a coil of rope, in very good condition sold for $250 in November 2017.
Time to get cracking Although many are available, you don’t have to buy a lot of nutcrackers to enjoy them. Travel to Washington and meet the Nutcracker Lady and Karl, and surround yourself with the wonderful world of colorful nutcrackers. Then go home and celebrate the holidays with nuts and a nutcracker or two over a bowl with friends.
Nut bowls with metal plungers, early 20th century, United States, bronze/iron.
Courtesy of Arlene and George Wagner
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