Powder compact collection

[Figleaf]

This thread is in shameless imitation of the manhole cover collection thread. May it amuse as much.

My daughter-in-law and son got my wife this compact powder box. They picked it up on a Tashkent flea market. Obviously, it is silvered brass and not from central Asia. I was intrigued by the couple riding a wolf. The wolf turned out to be grey and the couple was identified as Ivan Tsarevich and Helena the Beautiful (compare the picture by Viktor Vasnetsov on the Wiki page.)

That was very satisfactory, but the box was marked. Our member cam, with the help of his wife, identified the principal mark:

The mintmark is ЛЭ (LE) = артель Ленинградский эмальер (artel Leningrad enamel, Ленэмальер = Lenenamel).

In 1929, the Leningrad Enamel artel appeared in Leningrad, a combined team of three small artels: the Mounter, Enamel metal and Progressmetal. The first premises of the artel were on Herzen Street, 24. This is the Fabergé house on Bolshaya Morskaya, by the way. Then their office was moved to Konnaya Street with production workshops at 12. Mytninskaya 12. After the war, the artel became almost the largest producer in the country of high-quality nickel-plated brass shaving utensils. since 1956, the Leningrad enamel artel became known as the Lenemalier factory.

In the 1950s, Lenemalier formed an alliance with the October Industrial Complex. Dishes with the brand "LE" appeared on sale in pompous gift boxes manufactured by the industrial complex. The relations of partners were developed, and Lenemalier began production of the same dishes, but with the logo of the October Industrial Complex. Moreover, later, the same sets appeared in general from the Leningrad region. With the logo and in the boxes of the "Roshchinsky toy factory", which had no metalworking shops, nor electroplating, as they produced only wooden toys were.

Isn't it just like identifying a medal? The id instantly made this powder the compact the star of the collection. The background is much fun. After the October revolution, you couldn't have silver bourgeois articles with the Tsar or his family any more, so a commune-like complex produced silvered brass bourgeois articles with folk tale illustrations and didn't mind that the hero was the son of the Tsar.

Peter

[Gusev]

A flea market sometimes gives pleasant surprises.
There are also several such places in Kiev.
On flea market sometimes without a specific goal, several hours fly as a minute.

[Prosit]

I would love to visit Kiev flea markets sometime.
My personal theory is that you can learn a lot about a country and its people from its flea markets.
More so than running around restaurants and tourist sites.
Dale

A flea market sometimes gives pleasant surprises.
There are also several such places in Kiev.
On flea market sometimes without a specific goal, several hours fly as a minute.

[gpimper]

Dale, I agree!  I've hit markets from Bahrain to Japan...wicked interesting cultural history!  Best was Saudi Arabia.  Talk about treasures!