Gaggenau GEM in a box

[ogilkes]

Further to the tale of a GEM in a box.

A careful light cleaning with water and a soft cloth has revealed a couple of things.
1. While the paint has flaked a bit there is, to the top left of the capital G a blob which if not just chance, in which case why was it not cleaned off given the care taken elsewhere, is possibly the remains of one of the inverted commas mentioned above. Nothing similar in terms of paint on the top right however, though there is a spot which might be the remains of a of another blob. These might be the inverted commas.....
2. More significantly it seems the names were not stenciled on. Around the edges of the paint (which show brush marks) there is a faint impressed outline, both on the main logo and on the other on the bottom of the box. This looks like it was made by some sort of stamp (its all too regular to have been a scribed in I think), in other words put there as a guide for someone to fill in with blue paint.

So, this reinforces the possibility that this is an original box. Whose though? I have no idea how these rifles would have been imported, in large cases with multiple rifles, or in single boxes like this. On the other hand, these may have been made by Arbenz as an importer who then added his logo.

Incidentally, I have never actually seen the logo Arbenz seems to have adopted, I may be barking right up the wrong tree. Anyone have an image?

https://imgur.com/05QHGCo
https://imgur.com/yfaYWr4

And finally, also found the record of Arbenz' copyright case with Chas. Osborne over the use of the word 'GEM'. Here is the link, you can download the Pdf. https://academic.oup.com/rpc/article/4/6/143/1601948

This must have been an expense and implies that the trade in these 'GEM's was sufficiently profitable to go to law over the name.

[ccdjg]

That is a great link to the Arbenz -Osborne copyright case. I hadn't realised that there had been such controversy over use of the name.

Does your gun definitely have the crossed pistols logo, or could it be they are rather indistinct crossed rifles? The reason I ask is because Fritz Langenhan Gems had a crossed rifles logo, as in this advert:






The interesting thing is that the advert also has the name "Gem" written in a very similar style to the "Gem" on your box lid:

[ogilkes]

That's brilliant Thanks!

The logo is sufficiently similar to the printed one to suggest that someone went to the trouble of copying an original artwork - though there are differences. That might just be the availability of typeface or the vagaries of blockmakers.

Yes, its crossed pistols. not rifles.

[ogilkes]

Is the advert by an importer? They might simply be applying the accepted trad name to whichever manufacturer actually sells them the riles, Lagenham or GE?

[ccdjg]

Is the advert by an importer? They might simply be applying the accepted trad name to whichever manufacturer actually sells them the riles, Lagenham or GE?

Unfortunately the article where I saw this did not say anything about where the ad came from, but it must surely have been from a UK importer or agent for Langenhan, given the "Made in Germany" mark?

[Garvin]

The writing on the box does look like a contemporary (retailer/manufacturer's?) logo to me, rather than the text of an enthusiast who made a box for his beloved gun, even though the commas are missing.