Steinbach smoking men, or incense smokers, are wonderful items. They are rather similar to nutcrackers, but they separate to hold a cone of incense inside, allowing the smoke from the incense to drift from the mouth. They all depict a delightful character. Some smokers also have music boxes in them. Some smoking men even having moving parts, which are caused to operate by the playing of the music box.

Ornaments are tiny 3″ wooden creations, designed specifically by Steinbach, to be hung on a Christmas tree. Just because of their diminutive size, don’t dismiss the detail and quality that go into making them. There are many people who collect Steinbach ornaments, just as there are those who collect Steinbach nutcrackers. Steinbach also produces mini nutcrackers, which are miniature versions of the full size ones. There are collectors for them as well. It seems a collector can be found for any Steinbach product. Some nutcracker collectors have over 500 of them!

Owning a hand crafted Steinbach item can be a joyful experience. They are unique, wonderful decorations to put on display during the Christmas holiday season. They brighten and add festivity to our homes and delight us with their music. They add to our cheerfulness and feeling of goodwill.

They can also be quite profitable. Steinbach nutcrackers increase in value with age. Some hard to find, limited editions have been known to sell for more than $1500. That’s quite a profit for the original owner, who had the foresight to make the first purchase. Of course, parting with a Steinbach nutcracker or smoker might be a hard thing to do.

You can see the new Steinbach nutcracker models for 2010, as well as many from years past, at A German Collectibles Haus.

An excellent selection of Steinbach nutcrackers have been released this year. There are 10 large nutcrackers which consist of St. Nicholas, Cup Cake Baker, Famous Architect, Chief Keokuk, 12 Days of Christmas Part 6, Wizard of Oz Munchkin, Mistletoe Santa, Czech Santa, Mickey Mouse Santa, and Dickens Chimney Sweep.

The 2 junior Steinbach nutcrackers are Merlin Magician and Junior Doctor.

The 5 Chubby nutcracker releases are Springtime, Summertime, Fall Gardener, Wintertime and Court Cobbler.

There are 3 new Troll Steinbach nutcrackers, Scottish Santa, Mrs. Santa and Russian Santa.

In addition to the new nutcrackers, Steinbach has also released 3 new Smoking Men, Musical Tailor, Sugar Plum Fairy and the Carpenter.

10 new Steinbach Ornaments have been released. They are Snowdrop, Archer, Lederhosen, Opera Fan, Santa Rudolph, Barkeeper, Russian Dancer, Chinese Dancer, Spanish Dancer and Hungarian.

There are also 3 new Mini Steinbach Nutcrackers, 12 Days of Christmas Part 5, Bagpiper and Magician.

Each new 2009 Steinbach Nutcracker, Smoker, Ornament and Mini Nutcracker can be seen at A german Collectibles Haus.

There are 11 full size Steinbach nutcrackers for 2008. Signed editions include: The Nutcracker, Carnival Chief, Band Leader Egerlander, Christmas Tree, Baron Von Steuben, Swiss Santa, Musical 12 Days of Christmas Part 5, Steinbach & Thomas Kinkade Santa, Dickens Lamplighter, Pineapple Santa, and Vintage Santa nutcracker.

The Steinbach family has been producing nutcrackers for nearly two centuries. 5th-generation Herr Christian Steinbach held the reigns of the company for decades. His efforts brought the company to new heights and made Steinbach nutcrackers world famous. Much to the dismay of nutcracker enthusiasts, Christian Steinbach passed away in February of 2007, at the venerable age of 85. Christian had trained his daughter, Frau Karla Steinbach, to take control the family legacy and it is now in her capable hands. Karla is now in charge of both German nutcracker factories. Karla’s daughter, Karolin, is also involved with the family owned business. The 6th and 7th Steinbach generations continue to produce German nutcrackers in the time honored traditions laid forth by Christian Steinbach.

Steinbach only uses the highest quality German wood and materials to craft their nutcrackers. There are over 100 steps involved in crafting a single finished piece. It takes an artisan with a true love of woodworking to complete such a detailed nutcracker. It normally takes about 6 weeks to finish a nutcracker, once the actual turning of the wood on a lathe begins.

According to German folklore, nutcrackers were first created to ward off evil and protect a home. That’s why they all have such stern looks on their faces and are baring their teeth. This is to scare away evil spirits and bad luck, and to promote good health.

The beginning of nutcracker carving dates back to the 18th century. Miners, in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) area of Germany, took up wood carving to supplement their income when the mines began to play out. Generations later, many nutcrackers and hand crafted items are still being produced in the Erzgebirge region.

Steinbach smoking men, or incense smokers, are wonderful items. They are similar to nutcrackers, but they seperate to hold a cone of incense inside, allowing the smoke from the incense to drift from the mouth. They all depict a delightful character. Some smokers also have music boxes in them. Some smoking men even having moving parts, which are caused to operate by the playing of the music box.

Owning a Steinbach item can be a joyful experience. They are wonderful decorations to put on display at the Christmas holiday season. They brighten our homes and delight us with their music. They add to our cheerfulness and feeling of goodwill.

They can also be quite profitable. Steinbach nutcrackers increase in value with age. Some hard to find, limited editions have been known to sell for more than $1500. That’s quite a profit for the original owner, who had the foresight to make the first purchase. Of course, parting with one might be a hard thing to do.

Visit A German Collectibles Haus for the current Steinbach nutcracker models and upcoming nutcrackers for 2008.