Recently found in a basement in Brooklyn, this massive hand made plaster model is of the Deutsche Norton Gesellschaft factory which was located near Cologne. Interestingly it was a subsidiary of the US abrasives manufacturer Norton Co. located Worcester, Massachusetts. The model itself was made in Germany and has the manufacturers tag located in the back.

We can only speculate about some of what we see here. We know for a fact the model is original and made in Germany. It's reasonable to assume Norton Co headquarters in Massachusetts received this model as an economic or manufacturing award from the Germany government. The stand for the model and glass top were almost certainly made after it arrived in the US and for display purposes at the company headquarters. We believe this to be true because it would have been virtually impossible to have shipped this overseas and have the handblown glass remain intact.

What’s really interesting is the plaque. Again, we know it's period original hand engraved and silver, with the signature of Fritz Todt and “Berlin” engraved on the bottom right. The rest of the plaque has broken German that makes little sense and Reichsminister is misspelled as well as "Schutte" who was the name of the German man who ran the factory at this time. Again, using reasonable speculation we believe the plaque was sent along with the model pre-engraved with Todt's signature and "Berlin" and the rest of the plaque was finished after arriving in the US and by a non-German speaking American then later attached it to the case after it was built for display in the company headquarters. We assume it was a basic labor / manufacturing award for the year 1938 and likely recognized later for the achievement in 1939 after Fritz Todt started his position.

The model is in almost perfect condition with the original wiring and lighting still underneath. Norton Co seems to still be in business.

The model measures 30 inches x 23 inches x 23 inches. It MUST be shipped on a pallet to ensure it does not break in transit. Please inquire about cost estimates.

The old lighting and wiring is not hooked up. We have a modern LED light under it for the photos.