Q: I have a bowl with these marks on the bottom. Can you tell me what they mean?
A: The swastika inside a gear is the logo of Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF), the German Labor Front. The DAF was founded after Hitler came to power in 1933 and was the only legal trade union under the Third Reich. The words "Modell des Amtes Schnheit der Arbeit" roughly translate as "Approved Model of the Office of Beauty of Work." "Schoenheit der Arbeit" (Office of Beauty of Work) was an organization under the DAF concerned with improving conditions in the workplace and that, according to one source, also gave the seal of approval to good designs.
The Office of Beauty of Work existed from 1933 to c.1939. Bauscher Weiden was established in Weiden, Bavaria, in 1881. The company became part of Hutschenreuther AG in 1927 and is still in business as a subsidiary of BHS tabletop AG. Bauscher Weiden specializes in hotel tableware.
This Bauscher Weiden mark was used from c.1920 to c.1939. Nazi memorabilia was understandably unpopular for many years after the end of World War II, but more items are showing up for sale now and prices are rising. Some pieces were brought home by soldiers who fought in World War II. Nazi memorabilia is collected for its historical and collectible value, and not to make a political statement. Many who offer Nazi memorabilia for sale are careful to point out that they do not agree with the policies of the Nazi party and are not in any way affiliated with it.
4 comments:
I purchased several pieces like this one at a tag sale. I listed 2 of them on eBay for sale. Although eBay lists over 2,000 Nazi and German items, they suspended the sale of these items. I explained to them the history of these dishes, but it was to no avail. To me it was historical, not approval of the era that they were manufactured.
Some things "brought home" will remain "verbotten", especially items that can be accurately traced to the high end of the nazi regime. Evil stays evil.
If you offered to sell them worldwide, they would definetly be "pulled" off Feebay. They cannot be shipped/offered to Germany. I would suggest just offering to the U.S. along with your comments that you do not approve of the ideology and the item is for historical purposes only. Write up your listing in an email and ask for approval from ebay first-they'll tell you why or why not.
If you black out the swastika, it CAN then be sold on ebay.
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