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When I first acquired a Mercedes-Benz silver star I thought that there was no point in getting a second example, since M-B has used the same symbol as long as I can remember. The tri-star encircled by a laurel wreath had its origins in the 1800s. Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler had each independently, applied an internal-combustion, gasoline engine to a wheeled vehicle in the summer of 1886, thus each inventing the automobile simultaneously. Initially they operated businesses independently from each other. Daimler used a ringed, three-point star as his company logo and Benz used a laurel-wreath circle, Each had registered their separate company logos in 1909. When the two entrepreneurs merged in 1926, they registered a tri-star in a wreathed circle as the Mercedes-Benz** official logo. That first ornament that I obtained from eBay was a standing silver star on a plain base without a wreath. Over the next few years I came to realize the subtle variations that had been developed by M-B for display of their circled star. So I decided to acquire a flush-mount logo as shown in the upper right photo. Then I noticed that the star had been mounted to an imitation radiator cap in the late '50s-early '60s, so I needed one of those. At that time my wife and I owned a Mercedes CLK 350 which had a flush=mount badge on the front, so I obtained an example of that. Sadly, I sold the first one (far right) at a craft fair. But I also had noticed that between the faux radiator cap and the smooth base there was an ornament with the laurel wreath and manufacturer's name, so I sought and won one of those. Then recently I was surprised to see a M-B standing star on eBay that was affixed to an actual radiator cap, complete with threads. The chrome finish was all but completely worn off, exposing most of the base metal. I was surprised to see that the star portion was cast in bronze. The year vehicle it came from was not listed. As is sometimes the case, it was listed by an antiques or "collectibles" dealer who did not recognize its significance and the listing was quite generic. Apparently, another automobilia collector did not see it and I got it for the starting price. I sort of held my breath until it arrived, fearful that it was something other than what I was expecting - but it was not. And is not. I need to contact someone who knows old Benz's and find out what years it is from - probably early 1930s or '20s. Maybe even a pre-M-B Daimler! Probably not. **You may have wondered why the jointly produced automobile of Daimler and Benz is not called "Daimler-Benz." Before the merger, Mr. Benz had produced a successful racing car which he had named after the daughter of the car's patron, Mercedes. Following his racing success, he wisely built on the car's fame and transferred the name to the cars he was producing. It was the name of the cars that was used in the new company, along with Daimler's eponymous brand name, (That is the rest of the story)
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CategoriesAuthorI am still trying new show venues to find those that provide the most effective exposure for my works. Archives
October 2020
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