2016 Nutcracker Convention – Day 1

2016 Nutcracker Convention – Day 1

Jun 27

 

This year marks the 22nd annual Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Convention which was held in Lexington Virginia.

 

First off, I have to say Lynn and Ann did a great job putting this year’s event together. I can’t imagine the time and work that goes into this. They really did a fantastic job!

 

Here are some pictures from the first day of the convention. This is where the Nutcracker Club members get to visit the hosting member’s home and see their personal collection first hand.

 

Lynn and Ann provided local beer and wine, delicious home cooked food, local fried chicken, and decadent deserts to die for.  All this was provided as we toured their home, viewed their beautifully displayed collection, and visited with members and friends we haven’t seen for a while.

 

Everything was beautifully displayed. Their home and their collection are absolutely spectacular!

 

Click on the pictures for a larger view.

 

Arriving at the convention host’s house

 

 

The fireplace mantel

 

Display case full of metal nutcrackers

 

 

Close up #1 of the wooden nutcrackers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Stay tuned for Day 2 to see the great pieces members brought to show off and/or sell.

More importantly, stay tuned to see what great items I came home with!

 

An Old Anri Dog

An Old Anri Dog

May 28

 

Here is a another older Anri that came in for repair from the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

As you can see in the pictures below, this piece had a lot of damage around the mouth and a badly broken handle.

 

 

 

 

Here are a few pictures of the piece after all the repairs:

 

 

 

 

I was real pleased with how this piece came out.

 

Well, that is all the Anris from the lot of 9 that the museum sent in for repairs.

 

They were all sent back and should be on display at the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum for many visitors to enjoy.

 

Groden Update

Groden Update

May 21

 

 

If you remember, I fixed a Groden a few months back (http://www.brandonetto.com/?p=2712).

 

I only had to do the repairs, the customer’s wife was going to paint it once they got it back.

 

The piece is done, and they were kind enough to send me photos of it painted.

 

All I have to say is – Wow! She did a fantastic job!

 

Here is a quick reminder of how the Groden looked when it left my shop:

 

 

 

Here’s a picture they sent of the Groden painted. She really did an awesome job on this!

 

 

 

—– Brandon

Anri – Rolling Eye Woman

Anri – Rolling Eye Woman

May 13

 

Here is a another very rare Rolling Eye Anri that came in for repair from the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

As you can see in the pictures below, this piece had a previous repair on the handle and bit of damage around the mouth and bonnet.

 

 

 

 

I was able to separate the old repair performed on the handle, re-join the pieces, and blend them to make the repair seamless.

 

 

 

Here are more pictures after the restoration showing the mouth and bonnet repairs.

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple pictures showing why these are called “Rolling Eye” Anris. The eyes roll and change color when the lever is moved.

 

 

 

 

—– Brandon

Too Eager

Too Eager

Apr 30

 

Yep, sometimes I get too eager to work on a piece and forget to get before photos. this is one of those instances.

 

This piece came in from one of the Nutcracker Collectors Club members with a lot of cracks and checks throughout. Some actually went completely through the piece.

 

Here are some photos of the piece after it was repaired. All the cracks and checks have been stabilized, filled, and blended to match the rest of the piece. Lots of work, but it’s worth it.

 

 

 

 

This piece had a carving of some sorts on the top that had broken off. The customer wanted the remnants of it removed and blended with the rest of the top’s texture.

 

 

This was a great piece with a ton of detail and was a lot of fun to work on.

 

The customer was very happy with how well it came out.

 

Rolling Eye Anri – Man

Rolling Eye Anri – Man

Apr 20

 

 

Here is a rare Rolling Eye Anri that came in for repair from the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

As you can see in the pictures below, this piece had a bit of damage around the mouth.

The face was also starting to split on each side of the nose where the wood runs thin.

 

 

 

Here are a few pictures of the piece after the repairs:

 

 

 

 

This picture shows how the eyes roll when the lever s pulled to open the mouth:

 

 

As I mentioned before these are very rare. I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on a few of these.

 

—– Brandon

 

 

Anri Old Man

Anri Old Man

Apr 09

 

The previous piece was an old woman, so it’s only fitting I post the Old Man Anri repair.

 

This guy came in missing most of the nose.

 

 

Here he is all fixed up with his new nose:

 

 

 

 

If you are keeping count, this was #5 from the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

 

Anri Old Woman

Anri Old Woman

Apr 02

 

That Groden was a fun piece, now back to the Anris Arlene Wagner sent from The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

Here’s an old woman Anri that had a lot of damage to the lower jaw. This is a common break because people think the nuts get cracked in the piece’s mouth like a traditional soldier style nutcracker.

 

Most if not all figural nutcrackers are made assuming the nut will be cracked in the back between the lever and body. So when people try to crack nuts in the mouth, they get broken.

 

Here is the piece before the lower jaw was rebuilt:

 

 

Here are some photos after the piece was fixed:

 

 

 

 

 

This is #4 of the nine pieces received from The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

More to come soon.