Add nostalgic flair to your holiday letters with these vintage unused Toy Soldier/Nutcracker postage stamps! This festive holiday design is perfect for adding a touch of whimsy to your holiday cards and letters or winter save-the-dates and weddings. In pristine mint condition and valid for current postage use, each stamp holds a face value of 44-cents. These USPS postage stamps are suitable for current mailing when used with the total required postage based on the weight of your correspondence. Embrace the charm of winter with this enchanting postage stamp!

Includes a total of TEN (10) unused vintage “Toy Soldier” postage stamp shown in the photos.

STAMP INFORMATION:

• Name: Winter Holidays Toy Soldier
• Series: Contemporary Christmas
• Year Issued: 2009
• Face Value: 44-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Christmas, Holidays, Winter, Nutcracker, Toys, Snowflakes, Wrapping Paper
• Color(s): Blue, Multicolored
• Printing Method: Lithographed
• Scott Number: 4428
• Adhesion Type: Self-Adhesive
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

GENUINE USPS POSTAGE: These unused vintage postage stamps are perfectly valid for use as current postage for mailing with USPS as long as you use the adequate amount of postage to achieve standard postage rates according to the weight of your mailing. Check current postage rates on the USPS website.

STAMP HISTORY: This 44c “Winter Holidays” Toy Soldier postage stamp is a United States Postal Service (USPS) commemorative issue from 2009 released as part of a set of four Contemporary Christmas stamps. Issued on October 8, 2009, in New York, NY, this stamp is part of a series celebrating popular holiday figures seen in decorations and gift wrap designs. The artwork, created by Joseph Cudd in his first stamp project for the Postal Service, features a smiling toy soldier standing at attention, set against a blue background with snowflakes falling, evoking the imagery of classic holiday stories like “The Nutcracker”.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: The tradition of using toy soldiers as holiday decorations originated in Germany in the 19th century and was cemented by the popularity of “The Nutcracker” ballet. The earliest toy soldiers, often nutcrackers, were produced by German woodcarvers in the Ore Mountains and were believed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. They also served a satirical purpose, allowing common people to imagine authority figures cracking nuts for them. The toy soldier's association with Christmas was significantly strengthened by E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", in which a toy soldier battles the Mouse King on Christmas Eve. This tale was later adapted into Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1892 ballet, “The Nutcracker”, which became an annual holiday tradition, especially in the United States after World War II when American soldiers brought home German nutcrackers as souvenirs. Today, toy soldiers, particularly the iconic nutcracker, are beloved symbols of holiday magic, nostalgia, and festive wonder, with their presence in parades and displays further solidifying their role as a Christmas classic.

SERIES HISTORY: The 44-cent Contemporary Christmas “Winter Holidays” stamps are a series of four USPS postage stamps issued on October 8, 2009, in New York, NY, that celebrate popular figures from the holiday season. The stamp art, created by artist Joseph Cudd in his first project for the United States Postal Service, depicted a reindeer, a snowman, a gingerbread man, and a toy soldier with festive borders of evergreens, stars, wreaths, and holly. Cudd owned a gift wrap and print design firm. To create these stamps under the direction of designer Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ, Cudd first sketched the designs by hand and then finished them on the computer using a graphics tablet. The series was designed to add a festive touch to holiday correspondence, featuring figures commonly seen in holiday decorations and gift wrap designs from Thanksgiving to New Year's.

QUESTIONS? We love hearing from our customers and replies to inquires are usually sent the same day. Need more of this stamp? Looking for a particular stamp not found on our website? Want a curated postage set for your special life event?

ABOUT HERITAGE POST HOUSE: Jennifer Kramer is the founder of Heritage Post House, a boutique vintage postage house located in Northern California. Jennifer sources the most beautiful unused vintage postage stamps ever issued by USPS and artfully arranges them into curated postage sets that are sure to add a special touch to your invitations, announcements, and special mailings. In addition to creating pre-arranged postage sets, Jennifer also works with couples (and their stationers) to create one-of-a-kind custom postage arrangements for wedding invitations, save the dates, and other special occasions.


Product Specifications

Length: 1.22 in.
Height: 0.01 in.
Width: 0.94 in.
Weight: 0.01 lbs.