WHY THIS IRONSTONE PLATTER HAD ME GOBSMACKED.
I am a collector of white ironstone. You can never have enough white platters, and as long as they are in good shape, I pick them up, either for my own use or for my shop. So, when I spotted a stack of plates and a couple of ironstone pieces, I was so excited. One large white platter was in such pristine condition, better than I had ever seen a piece of Ironstone in. I purchased the whole stack and knew I had a good find.
I didn't have my glasses with me that day, so I could not check the marks on the back. When I got home, I carefully washed them and checked the marks.
To my great surprise (and utter shock) when I turned it over I saw this:
and closer..... this................
Holy Crap!!! A Swastika, KPM, FL. UV. an Eagle and the date 1940. I was completely shocked. Stunned in fact. A platter used by the Nazi's.
I contacted Geoff Pringle from http://www.oldnautibits.com/ in the UK to see what could tell me about such a thing. Here is what he had to say.
"The Luftwaffe eagle and swastika are Luftwaffe ( German Air Force 1933-1945 ) property marks. The KPM is the makers code and the Fl stands for 'Flieger' in German meaning 'flying'. Values in the US may be different from here in England but if good condition it may fetch up to US$ 125 ish"
It needs a home, but not mine. It is meant for a museum as it does have some historical value.
Chania
Check out www.romantichome.blogspot.com
for Show and Tell Friday
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ReplyDeleteWow, unbelievable! I'm not sure I would want that in my house though, haha! It probably is meant to be in a museum!
ReplyDeleteI'll delete the link that you entered incorrectly. Thanks for letting me know.
It does have a dark history and it is hard to decide whether or not it should be held accountable. It could be argued the mark could be coated and re-fired to save the platter its evil association. On the other hand, indeed, many a museum would prize it. An odd piece to find though, as I was under the impression nearly all under that mark had been - thankfully - destroyed consequently not much of it is out there... very interesting, indeed.
ReplyDeleteThat is just amazing - yes a shocker, and Gobsmacked is a very fitting description!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what I would feel if I were to hold that in my hand. Wow. You are right - not in my home.
Thanks for the very interesting story!
Wow, it's funny how similar your post is to my post about the same kind of find! I'm donating our platter to an Israeli holocaust museum, and you can probably find a museum in your area that would be interested in accepting this find. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMaya (howtobeisraeli.blogspot.com)
My platter post: http://howtobeisraeli.blogspot.com/2009/11/creepy-piece-of-history.html
Wow!
ReplyDelete