2013 Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Convention – Day 2
Jul 15– Day 2 of the 2013 Nutcracker Collectors’ Convention
Day 2 of the Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Convention is usually a whirlwind and this year, it was no different. It started at the hotel with the club’s famous nutcracker show, sale, and auction. After the auction, the official club member’s meeting was held then any members who were interested were invited to go to Holden’s Arboretum to see Homer Jacob’s nutcracker collection.
The day finished with a fantastic meal at Dino’s Restaurant located in Mentor Ohio. Then we all said our farewells. It all went so fast that it’s all really over before you know it!
Pieces on display from Mike Pickwick’s collection.
Nutcracker Collectors’ Club show, sale, and auction
The pieces I brought to sell did real well at the auction.
Snail Nutcracker – Went to the Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth
Greyhound Nutcracker (#3) – Went to a private collector in New Concord Ohio.
Skull Nutcracker (#4) – Went to a private collector in Ann Arbor Michigan.
— Holden’s Arboretum
The arboretum has a fantastic collection of nutcrackers that includes some very rare pieces. We were fortunate to be able to visit and have unrestricted access to the fantastic pieces Homer Jacob had collected. Rumor has it that the arboretum may be looking at selling off some of the pieces in the next couple of years.
Holden Arboretum – Homer Jacob’s Nutcracker Collection
Holden’s Arboretum had some great animal nutcrackers
Holden’s Arboretum also had 2 very rare House Nutcrackers
— Dino’s Restaurant in Mentor Ohio
The convention ended at Dino’s Restaurant in Mentor Ohio. We were all treated to a great Italian family style served meal. The Eggplant Parmesan was absolutely fabulous and hands down my favorite.
Dino’s Restaurant
Dino’s Party Room
— Parting Words
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. We had a great time and were very sad to have to say goodbye to old friends and new ones we made this year.
Next year’s convention is scheduled to be in Roswell New Mexico. Hmmmmm…. looks like I’d better start designing a cool flying saucer screw type nutcracker or two….. AWESOME!!!!!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who bought my pieces and brought me pieces to repair this year! If you’re following this blog, keep an eye out for some fantastic pieces to be featured as I get them repaired and restored!
Again, if you are interested in joining The Nutcracker Collectors’ Club ($20/year domestic, $25/year international), contact Susan Otto at nutsue@roadrunner.com.
2013 Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Convention – Day 1
Jul 05A huge THANK YOU goes out to Susan and Dave Otto for hosting this year’s Nutcracker Collectors’ Club convention. The festivities started at Susan and Dave’s home on Friday evening in Chesterland Ohio where we got an up close hands on tour of Susan’s fantastic collection.
I’ve known Susan for a few years and her collection has grown by leaps and bounds both in quantity and quality. Everyone was truly in awe at all the great pieces she owns. It is a fantastic collection and I am very fortunate that she sends pieces over to my studio for touch ups and/or repairs to keep her collection in tip top shape. It really does help take her collection to that next level and keep it awe inspiring.
Susan’s nutcracker collection
Susan’s daughter Erica, who is a great cook like her mother, prepared and served appetizers and food throughout the evening with help from her boyfriend Lou. The food was incredible to the extent that everyone, including my wife, was asking for recipes.
After dinner Susan’s quick witted and talented friend Chris Welken played acoustic guitar and performed songs from his clever and amusing music CD, Modest Expectations, which we all got a copy of to take home as a souvenir. Chris is very entertaining and his performance made for a delightfully fun evening.
Chris jamming out!
My wife and I had a blast. We got to catch up with friends we met 2 years ago at Mike Pickwick’s convention in Connecticut and we got to make new friends at Susan’s. I really can’t say enough about all the great people in the club! If you are interested in joining, contact Susan Otto at nutsue@roadrunner.com.
Membership costs $20 a year for domestic subscriptions and $25 a year for international ones which includes a quarterly newsletter, master list of members, and an invitation to the annual Collectors’ Club Convention. The membership fee does not cover the cost of actually attending the convention; obviously this costs extra. Word has it, the 2014 convention will be held in Roswell New Mexico. That’s exciting!
Susan talking about nutcrackers
Coming soon! – My coverage of Day 2:
- The famous Nutcracker Collectors’ Convention members’ sale and auction
- The Nutcracker Collector’s Club meeting notes
- A visit to Holden’s Arboretum
- Dinner at Dino’s
1800’s Nutcracker Repair
Aug 22A customer had just scheduled a piece he recently bought to come in for repairs when one of his wife’s favorite pieces fell over and sustained some damage. So it got to make the trip for some repairs too.
This is a fantastic piece from the late 1800’s. He mentioned it was most likely carved in Switzerland. Luckily he was able to locate the pieces that broke off which helped tremendously in making this a seamless repair.
I can easily see why this is one of his wife’s favorite pieces. The detail on this piece is incredible. Whomever originally did it had some serious talent. Pictures don’t do this piece justice, this is an incredible example of what carvers were capable back then.
The repair came out great. Everything matched up and the colors blended perfectly to make this a seamless solid repair.
Chipped hat repaired
Fantastic details
Nutcracker Restored
Aug 05Here’s a recent restoration I did for a collector. This is a great piece. It needed the bottom jaw repaired, the nose fixed, and the pin replaced. The pin had been previously “fixed” with a large nail which had the lever all loose and acting like it was broke. A new wooden pin tightened the piece back up so it works as it should now. I also carved the ends of the pin so it blends seamlessly into the piece. I’m very happy with how this came out.
A Nutcracker Restoration and a Custom Knife
Sep 11Last month Brandon started looking into buying a couple nutcrackers for our anniversary. He discovered a few on Bob Mills’ site that he was interested in. He contacted Bob regarding the nutcrackers and it ended up that Bob needed restoration work done on a rare 18th century nutcracker. This week we received a package from across the pond. The nutcracker is here and it is going be Brandon’s next project. Here are pictures of the nutcracker in it’s current condition…..
Nutcracker to be Restored
Back of Nutcracker to be restored
Side View of Nutcracker to be restored
This nutcracker is petite and very special. The front handle had broke and someone did a fix with nails and some metal. There are none like it in existence to compare to so Brandon will be working on designing an appropriate handle for it. Stay tuned for progress pictures.
Brandon has also been working on making a few custom knives. Here is a folding knife he has just recently finished and delivered to it’s owner…..
Custom Folder Knife with Mosaic Pin
Custom Folder Knife with Mosaic Pin
He has a few more that he is working on that I will post at a later date.