1930S: VINTAGE ENAMEL SIGN “TÜR ZU” (CLOSE THE DOOR) – 12 X 6 CM

50,00 €

Product no. 13-1635

1 in stock

1 in stock

Category: Civilian Items 1933–1945 / Non-Market Items
14-day return policy

Smooth reversal

An enamel sign featuring the German directive “Tür zu” (Close the door), typically used in residential buildings, public offices, or commercial facilities during the 1930s era.

  • Format: Landscape format orientation (Querformat).
  • Text: Stenciled typography in black against a white background with a thin black border.
  • Period: Dated to the 1930s era.
  • Reverse: Solid dark enameled backing plate.
  • Dimensions: 12 cm x 6 cm.
  • Mounting: Fabricated with two factory-punched side holes for screw mounting.

Small enamel door and instruction signs (German: Emailleschild or Türschild) are made from sheet steel coated with a glass-like layer fused on at high temperature. Industrial production of enamelled signs began in the second half of the 19th century, with Germany among the leading producers, and the trade peaked in the first half of the 20th century. More than 300 enamelling works operated in Germany alone during the 1930s. Short imperatives such as "Tür zu" ("door closed/close the door") belong to the everyday notice signs used in stairwells, offices, shops, workshops and institutions, where they asked people to keep a door shut. They were mounted with screws through pre-punched holes. Most enamel signs are rectangular, with oval and round shapes much less common. They were usually stencilled, while lithographic or screen-printed methods were used for more complex designs. Collectors tell period signs apart from modern reproductions by the heavy-gauge steel, the glassy fired surface, the finish on the back, typically a dark enamel, and any maker's marks. Plain notice signs of this kind were generic civilian items and are not specific to the military or the Wehrmacht.

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