I have bought a Julleuchter, which I find a bit rare and I am interested in hearing other opinions and suggestions.
I have uploaded images comparing the Julleuchter with an Allach original, which has a more grey/brownish color compared to the Julleuchter in question, which is more red, having more distinct marks:
http://imageshack.us/g/88/julleuchter4.jpg/
The material is first of all very different. The Julleuchter is made of a material looking more like brick. It has the same size but is almost twice as heavy as the Allach one. The walls of the item is thicker and the base is filled as well as the top (where the candle is placed). The Allach one is made very differently with thin walls, top and base. The inside is clearly handmade and there is no marks or stamps made in the material. In my opinion the model is exactly the same, but there is a much more personal and not as professional way to the execution and a different heavier construction.
The person I bought it from sold it as a 19th century folk art brick candleholder. He was not aware of its SS associaton at all. It came from his parents home. They collected Swedish folk art and bought the Julleuchter at an auction for about 25-30 years ago in southern Sweden. The previous owner was a large collector of Swedish folk art and items. Thus, I cannot confirm the age or origin of the Julleuchter further than about 30 years.
An interesting hint however is the situation when I bought the Allach original, which I did about ten years ago. This I did in Copenhagen (Denmark) at an antique store. The store held two Julleuchter. The one I bought with the Allach making stamp and another one (that I did not buy) which I find a bit similar to this one. I think the material also was in brick and not nearly as fine in surface as the Allach one. It was also burnt in parts. I asked about it and the store owner said it was probably made in Dachau, suggesting prisoner work. Is this something that could be possible?
My own suggestion is that the Julleuchter was produced before the more factory based production at Allach came about, and that the Julleuchter is a German pre-war production (?). How it came to Sweden, where I live, is unknown, but clearly an interesting question as it has not been connected to the Third Reich. It is also an interesting fact that the model for the Julleuchter originally was a Swedish brick candle holder from Halland in southern Sweden.
I have uploaded images comparing the Julleuchter with an Allach original, which has a more grey/brownish color compared to the Julleuchter in question, which is more red, having more distinct marks:
http://imageshack.us/g/88/julleuchter4.jpg/
The material is first of all very different. The Julleuchter is made of a material looking more like brick. It has the same size but is almost twice as heavy as the Allach one. The walls of the item is thicker and the base is filled as well as the top (where the candle is placed). The Allach one is made very differently with thin walls, top and base. The inside is clearly handmade and there is no marks or stamps made in the material. In my opinion the model is exactly the same, but there is a much more personal and not as professional way to the execution and a different heavier construction.
The person I bought it from sold it as a 19th century folk art brick candleholder. He was not aware of its SS associaton at all. It came from his parents home. They collected Swedish folk art and bought the Julleuchter at an auction for about 25-30 years ago in southern Sweden. The previous owner was a large collector of Swedish folk art and items. Thus, I cannot confirm the age or origin of the Julleuchter further than about 30 years.
An interesting hint however is the situation when I bought the Allach original, which I did about ten years ago. This I did in Copenhagen (Denmark) at an antique store. The store held two Julleuchter. The one I bought with the Allach making stamp and another one (that I did not buy) which I find a bit similar to this one. I think the material also was in brick and not nearly as fine in surface as the Allach one. It was also burnt in parts. I asked about it and the store owner said it was probably made in Dachau, suggesting prisoner work. Is this something that could be possible?
My own suggestion is that the Julleuchter was produced before the more factory based production at Allach came about, and that the Julleuchter is a German pre-war production (?). How it came to Sweden, where I live, is unknown, but clearly an interesting question as it has not been connected to the Third Reich. It is also an interesting fact that the model for the Julleuchter originally was a Swedish brick candle holder from Halland in southern Sweden.
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