Calling on all holiday collectors please as this next offering will surely entice anyone who has a penchant for collecting old and fun Christmas pieces. This wonderful German Santa riding in a wooden sled has decided to do something untraditional this year……so instead of reindeer pulling this magical sleigh, a Putz sheep will do the honors! Don’t worry as this sheep is not made of flour paste and comes from a hardy German family so she will get the job done! The sheep does have a lipstick mouth that seems to also cover her nose so you see she does possess a traditional trait from “Rudolph”!
Santa’s face was fashioned from a composition material with hand painted features that include pronounced rosy red cheeks and nose along with a distinguished mouth and faraway eyes as shown in image 1. His red felt suit accented with a black belt keeps him warm and so does his hat while riding high in the sky come Christmas eve.!
He is proudly holding a feather tree and is not removeable from his sleigh. Santa’s black boots do exhibit vestiges of wear on the bottom side areas and his chin has a smudge of grey near the bottom. If you turn Santa over there are indications of Mica flakes present that we can assume covered more of the upper portions of the sled as well as his boots. His suit is in good condition and his face is intact with no apparent losses suffered through the years. He does not have a beard and I am not sure if he originally had one or not.
It appears that Santa has only one present left to deliver as shown in the back of his sled sporting a soldier blue ground accented with a cranberry tie. This package is also not removeable. The wooden sled does sport burgundy pinstriping on the sides as well as the top and the white (now a light grey color) seat also has whispers of mica flakes present on the side areas. Even though this piece is not marked “Germany” my instincts tell me this is where the item originated from.
The putz sheep resides on a wafer thin metal stand and sports a cornflower blue collar. Her legs are intact and there is no play in any of them. Both ears do have chips and her coat has a tiny discolored spot located on the left hand side of her neck just above the collar as referenced in image 20.
I added a bottle brush tree in the back of the sleigh behind the present that displays whispers of snow remaining. There are also areas inside the tree sporting old cotton. The tree has kept it’s shape though the years with just a minute area on the back that has minimal loss. Set inside a desirable red base this tree is in overall great condition. The bottom of the base does appear to have a non-sticky glue residue.
** Side Note: Christmas items have sky rocketed in price for several years now and each year it appears the prices go up even further. This may be due to a scare and tight market which in turn makes the price go up because of the demand. In November of this year a German set of reindeer pulling a sled with Santa at the helm closed at auction for a whopping $72,000.00 and was sold to an American collector (last image). These holiday pieces are good investments which is always something to consider when purchasing any antique acquisitions especially sought-after items.
This gathering would make a joyous statement displayed in a small cupboard with possibly other bottle brush trees sprinkled about or can even be placed on a window sill to keep you company while doing the dishes from your holiday cookie baking. You can also set this gathering near a small tree that will surely gain interest and be a delight to gaze upon! This wonderful collection will bring holiday magic and gaiety to your homestead not only for this holiday season but for years to come! Enjoy!
Santa in sleigh stands 3 ½” tall to the top of his hat, measures 3 ¾” across the sled rails (right to left), measures 2” deep (front to back) taking into consideration the protruding package, sled only measures 1” deep. Sheep stands 2 ½” tall including the top of her head, body only measures 1 ¾” tall, measures 2 ¼” from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail, metal stand measures almost 1 ¾” across (right to left) and measures a little over ½” deep (across her back, front to back). Bottle brush tree stands 3 ½” tall, measures 2” across the bottom of the tree (widest point) and base measures ½”.
