Nutcracker Postage Stamps

Nutcrackers will not only be found on theater stages around the country this December, but on your envelopes as well. The new 2008 Nutcracker postage stamps issued by the United States Postal Service are amazing. They were released on November 8, 2008 and are already a very difficult stamp to find at post offices as well as authorized stores around the nation.

Nutcrackers have been made by German craftsmen in several varieties since at least the 15th century. You will often find them carved like a king, knight, or soldier. These wooden decorative pieces have a large mouth that opens and shuts via a lever in the back of the figurine. They are functional as they can actually crack a nut, just as their name states, but most nutcrackers made today are for decoration only. Nutcrackers are traditionally displayed at Christmastime. The famous ballet, “The Nutcracker” is named after these figurines.

The whimsical Nutcrackers featured on the postage stamps are a picture of four actual German style Nutcrackers. The Santa (Father Christmas), king, drummer and captain were custom made for the USPS by craftsman Glen Crider, whose workshop resembles what you could imagine Santa’s workshop to look like. It should be noted that Mr. Crider is one of the few craftsmen in America who has this rare talent of carving Nutcrackers.

Check out Stamp Center to purchase this beautiful Nutcracker postage stamp set.