No 38 It's a cracker!!

Last September I wrote about a brass nut cracker that I purchased at an Antique Fair at Nottingham Racecourse.    The dealer sold it to me as being an old style bottle opener, suggesting that the hinged arms gripped the cork and then levered the cork out of the bottle. I believed it!!!! …until I started writing about it for my blog. Examining it more thoroughly, I realised with hind sight, that the sharp nicks and raised edges on the inside of the two brass arms, were actually to get a grip on something small like a filbert. I was quite pleased that I had negotiated a 33% reduction in the price for what turned out not to be what I had been sold.

 

Anyway today I have 4 more nutcrackers in fact they are discussed as two pairs. These two are brass.

It’s probably true to say that the most frequent legs that I see in my searching are brass nutcrackers.  There is very little difference in those I have seen, some are better made than others, and the only reason for my having two is that the one on the right is smaller than the norm, and certainly smaller than the other one on the left.

These two both have a leaf pattern on the shoulders, but they only open about 25 degrees, and the size/gap would be too small for Walnuts or Brazils. 

Style wise, the only variation is the degree of decoration that was used in the brass mould when they were made. Some effort has been made to create toes on the smaller cracker, and that cracker has the more attractive bottom!! (see photo)

 

My third and fourth cracker are both Mahogany and whilst bought at different locations they are virtually a pair. There is only a fraction in the difference in size, the left one being bigger.

 

 I bought the first cracker at an Exeter antique fair in February 2018. The experienced Treen dealer sold hard that it was a very rare nutcracker, it was new to him and he said that his Authoratitive nutcracker guide made no reference to a Mahogany version.  It IS very tactile and c1900.

The second one I found at a fair at Newark the following year, and against my normal habit of not having two legs the same, as the price was only about 20% of the earlier one it had to be a “buy”. It also brought the average price well down!!

When I look at them close together, bearing in mind that they are both hand carved, they are so identical that I must conclude they were made by the same artisan.

 

You will know that I always say that all the leg items in my collection are functional, and they can each be used for a purpose.  But I have to admit there are a few exceptions!!!!

I now have six items of jewellery, non-functional charms and very small but having the leg shape that still remains a prerequisite!

To recap I have written about some of these jewels before.    One was the brooch in the shape of a pair of legs underneath a yellow lamp shade; number two was a silver charm depicting the 3 legs of the Isle of Man logo, number three a silver charm with a hinged lid, lifted to reveal a cat **… Puss in Boots; and finally a nice piece of agate.

28^th August at the Stafford antique fair, I was drawn to a box of teeny charms, and after probing found these two silver charms. This is a photo of the new charms, with  ** as a comparison

                                                    

From the left… the cat in the boot….. £4!   Then the new additions… a solid silver replica of a Hunters boot, wrinkled     £2.50.   Then a simple open top boot, but with a spur     £2.50.

 There is always variety… and more to come!!