Ernst Freihoff may not be a familiar name to many, but to many girls who grew up in or spent time in Germany in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, his company’s Glanzbilder was an essential part of childhood. What are Glanzbilder? You may know them as Scrapbilder, Poesiebilder, Albumbilder, Rosenbilder, or even Oblaten. These colorful sets of pictures were printed…
Category: German Collectibles
What You Should Know About German Beer Coasters or Bierdeckel
When the server set the beer (and wine) in front of me with a coaster on top of it, a light bulb went off in my head. You see, German Beer Coasters are called Bierdeckel or Beer Lid, and I never quite understood why a coaster would be called a Deckel. Turns out, there’s some interesting history associated with these…
Steinbach Company in Germany- Still Making Erzgebirge Magic for the World
“We want to bring the Erzgebirge magic into peoples homes all over the world.” While scrolling through Facebook recently, I came across an interesting comment on the Steinbach Nutcracker fan page… it said that the Steinbach Company in Germany had been purchased, and the factory was up and running again. WHAT! I did some digging, and couldn’t find much……
History of Hummel Figurines -Collecting German Hummel Figurines
Many people associate Germany with Hummel Figurines and presume that most Germans would collect them. While I was growing up, my mother always had just one Hummel Figurine displayed in her Living Room Schrank, a little girl walking with a basket. She told me her aunt gave it to her when she left Germany, so it had a special meaning.…
German Fairy Tale Wall Art -Colorful Wandfiguren for Children
See what I found while clearing out the closet? Like many German kids in the 1970s, my room was decorated with colorful wooden Fairy Tail wall art, Wandfigur, that depicted some of my favorite Fairy Tales. Made by companies like Mertens Kunst and Ravi Kunst, these bright and cheery wall hangings have become collectible today. Designs all came from fairy…
Erzgebirge Flower Children-A Sweet Memory of Blumenkinder
The Flower Children are a messenger that Spring is upon us! Bright colored outfits, little rabbits , sweet smiles, and of course, those giant Flowers. The Erzgebirge Flower children were traditional gifts for birthdays and Christenings. Gisela sent me an email with a memory. Does anyone else collect Angels and Erzgebirge Flower Children? My mom has a set of the…
German Shield Charms – Collect Memories on a Bracelet
Some people collect spoons, others collect patches or postcards, and others collect beer steins. I don’t know when it began, but somewhere in my childhood, I started collecting German Shield Charms for a charm bracelet. These special little charms are all painted with a place name and then enameled. I fasten mine onto a silver bracelet that I enjoy wearing,…