Diplomatic Calling Card Holder ?

[Jon. H]

Hello Guys,

This is a piece i've had for ages. It came with a story that it was taken by Staff Sergeant Bernard Shindler in the 44th Division, 71st inf regiment, 2nd battalion, CO E, 2nd squad. At the end of the war his unit where in Mannheim, where he entered the office of Foreign Minister Joachim Von Ribbentrop, and took with him this case with a calling card and some other stuff.

What do you guys think?

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[Jon. H]

[ATTACH]1771689[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]1771690[/ATTACH]

[Jon. H]

Shindler in London.

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[Erich B.]

It's a cigarette case. Is the eagle separately applied or pressed as part of the panel?
Erich

[Jon. H]

It's a cigarette case. Is the eagle separately applied or pressed as part of the panel?
Erich

Erich,

Thank you for taking time to answer!

I have tested with cigarettes, but i believe it's to thin, cause it wont close with cigarettes inside.

The eagle is separately applied.

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[Carson]

Interesting item. What are the outside measurements and what is the maximum thickness of an item will it take and still close properly?

Thanks for sharing.

[Jon. H]

Carson, thank you very much for your time!

It's around 0,4-0,5 cm thick, and will hold around two to three normal calling cards.

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[DocumentsGuy]

I'm not disputing anything, it just seems like a rather cheesy and relatively poorly made item for Ribbentrop to have had. After all, the guy was the Foreign Minister of the Third Reich, you'd think he would have had a much classier cigarette case or calling card case.

[Br. James]

Dear Jon-Olav,

What an attractive piece, and I'll bet it's even better looking in person! Anything bearing a Governmental/Foreign Office Eagle gets my attention. Did you get the calling card you mentioned when the piece came to you, or was that just a facet of Sgt. Shindler's provenance? If you have the card, please share with us!

I can see that the piece is too shallow to have contained even one row of cigarettes.

Br. James

[Jon. H]

I'm not disputing anything, it just seems like a rather cheesy and relatively poorly made item for Ribbentrop to have had. After all, the guy was the Foreign Minister of the Third Reich, you'd think he would have had a much classier cigarette case or calling card case.

Thank you for your comment!

The thought have crossed my mind. Although i have seen some low quality objects from these top guys. So i'm not sure. I was thinking it might be something less important than a calling card case.

Dear Jon-Olav,

What an attractive piece, and I'll bet it's even better looking in person! Anything bearing a Governmental/Foreign Office Eagle gets my attention. Did you get the calling card you mentioned when the piece came to you, or was that just a facet of Sgt. Shindler's provenance? If you have the card, please share with us!

I can see that the piece is too shallow to have contained even one row of cigarettes.

Br. James

Dear Br. James.

Thank you for your comment and i'm glad you like it!

I'm also always drawn against stuff with these eagles, theres something about diplomacy!

I sadly didn't get the calling card, since i was told the lot was spitted up by Shindler's family. The napkin taken by Shindler was the one with the eagle on top of a globe with laurels around monogram.

[Br. James]

Dear Jon-Olav,

I agree with both DocumentsGuy and yourself -- this piece does not perhaps display the quality of workmanship one would associate with someone like Minister von Ribbentrop, who always tried to exude elegance and high station in life! But all of us receive gifts of varying quality over the years and some of those gifts wind up in use within our offices or homes -- for example, some of the pillows and other crude and occasionally garish examples of artwork that were presented or sent to Hitler by adoring but less-than-talented admirers found their way into his various homes and offices, and for just that very reason: he wanted to display the fact that he valued the outpouring of admiration from the common people. There is no reason to believe that every item found in the office or the home of a high-ranking Nazi was purchased and placed there by that person directly.

Thanks again for sharing,

Br. James

[Erich B.]

It could be a match book holder--you're right, it's too thin for cigarettes but there were a few different styles/sizes of match books. Or maybe to hold a railway ticket, or ?
Erich

[Jon. H]

Dear Jon-Olav,

I agree with both DocumentsGuy and yourself -- this piece does not perhaps display the quality of workmanship one would associate with someone like Minister von Ribbentrop, who always tried to exude elegance and high station in life! But all of us receive gifts of varying quality over the years and some of those gifts wind up in use within our offices or homes -- for example, some of the pillows and other crude and occasionally garish examples of artwork that were presented or sent to Hitler by adoring but less-than-talented admirers found their way into his various homes and offices, and for just that very reason: he wanted to display the fact that he valued the outpouring of admiration from the common people. There is no reason to believe that every item found in the office or the home of a high-ranking Nazi was purchased and placed there by that person directly.

Thanks again for sharing,

Br. James

Dear Br. James,

That is indeed so true! They did have lower quality pieces, but they aren't that often showed or offered. If this was the common von Ribbentrop type, it would at least be in silver, have his initials and some diamonds. But perhaps he got it as a gift, and decided to keep it? Perhaps it was made for him late war? Or perhaps it never belonged to him? But i must say i quite like the story.

It could be a match book holder--you're right, it's too thin for cigarettes but there were a few different styles/sizes of match books. Or maybe to hold a railway ticket, or ?
Erich

Dear Erich,

Not a bad idea IMO, it would hold plenty of matches and i'm pretty sure Ribbentrop enjoyed a cigarette from time to time, at least a cigar.

When you said rail way ticket i came to think about something. If for something else than calling cards in the paper world. It could be to house stamps? It's shaped like a letter.

[Br. James]

Dear Erich,

I'm sure I've seen photos of von Ribbentrop smoking both cigarettes and cigars, though not at the same time! It seems so foreign to our thinking today, but up through the 1960s and the 70s people smoked all the time, and everywhere! Smoking during WWI and WWII was completely common on all sides of the conflict. The Nazis even owned cigarette companies -- and Hitler himself never smoked (though all the other high-ranking Nazis did)!

Br. James

[Jon. H]

Dear Erich,

I'm sure I've seen photos of von Ribbentrop smoking both cigarettes...

Even with filters......................................

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