Vintage Miniature Blue Delft Porcelain House – KLM Gift No10 – Circa 1950s

Minimum Donation €33.25

In 1952, KLM introduced the Delft Blue houses as a way to curtail strict pricing competition regulations, by billing these houses not as gifts, but as “the last drink on the house”. Upsetting the other airlines and regulators of course, KLM’s excuse simply was: ‘Is there a law that tells us drinks have to be served in a glass?’ The houses were only given to its first class passengers, but later to business class passengers. Each house is usually based on a real-life location in the Netherlands or surrounding area. The houses were filled with Simon Rynbende & Sons Apple Brandy. This is empty! The house numbers are stamped on the backs and also imprinted into the bases below the trademark. This house originally most likely had a sticker on the back. KLM Number10 was called De Gecroonde Raep (The Crowned Turnip), located at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 57 and built in 1615. This model is in excellent condition – no chips, cracks, crazing, scratches, stains or repairs noted. See images for detail work and condition H:9.5 x W:4 x D:4.5cm

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Description

Sometimes obstacles can spark the most successful products. Before the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) regulated all kinds of aviation-related policies in the United States. Fares, routes and even schedules needed to be approved by the government. There were standard tariffs for companies, so airlines weren’t allowed to compete on price. The CAB also prevented airlines from giving incentives with a monetary value of more than 75 cents to their customers. In other words, it was very hard for airlines to stand out from the competition, as they couldn’t compete on price or offer gifts to reduce the price of an airline ticket – hence the introduction of the Blue Delft Houses!

Additional information

Weight 0.1 kg