Rare Souvenir Dish Commemorating the Goodyear Zeppelin Corp - U.S. Navy’s Airship - USS AKRON c1931

Here on offer is in a rare and unusual souvenir gilt metal small trinket dish, commemorating the U.S. Navy’s Airship, USS AKRON (ZRS-4), which was launched in August 1931.

This highly detailed oval dish was made in Japan from cast antimony, that has then been gilt-plated on the top.

It depicts a scene of the U.S. Navy’s helium airship; USS AKRON being removed from its Airdock hanger on its launch day in August 1931.

Above it in raise letters it reads:

GOODYEAR ZEPPELIN
CORP. FACTORY & DOCK, SHOWING
U.S. NAVY’S NEW AIRSHIP.

and below:

SOUVENIR OF AKRON, O.

Around the edge of the dish is an ornate swirling pattern. Most of the gilt still remains and has only been lost of the highpoints of the images.

On the reverse it retains the original dulled silvered metal finish of antimony and has the distributers details printed in blue ink, part of which I can just make out, seem to read as:

In Appreciation of
Your Patronage

THE BROWN FURNITURE CO.
18 ?? fifth ????

It also has in raised letters:

M N Co. (in the centre0

MADE IN JAPAN
No. 1915

Therefore, it would appear that this dish was probably given away as a souvenir when a customer purchased some furniture from The Brown Furniture Company, back in the 1930’s.

Construction of the USS Akron ZRS-4 was begun on 31 October 1929 at the Goodyear Airdock in Akron, Ohio by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. Because it was larger than any airship previously built in the US, a special hangar was constructed. Chief Designer Karl Arnstein and a team of experienced German airship engineers instructed and supported design and construction of both U.S. Navy airships USS Akron and USS Macon.

On 8 August 1931, Akron was launched (floated free of the hangar floor) and christened by First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, the wife of the President of the United States, Herbert Clark Hoover.

The maiden flight of Akron took place around Cleveland on the afternoon of 23 September with Secretary of the Navy Adams and Rear Admiral Moffett on board. On Navy Day, 27 October 1931, the Akron was commissioned as a Navy vessel.

USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a helium-filled rigid airship and the lead ship of her class. It was the world's first purpose-built flying aircraft carrier, carrying F9C Sparrowhawk fighter planes, which could be launched and recovered while it was in flight. With an overall length of 785 ft (239 m), Akron and her sister ship Macon were among the largest flying objects ever built. Although LZ 129 Hindenburg and LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II were some 18 ft (5.5 m) longer and slightly more voluminous, the two German airships were filled with hydrogen, and so the two US Navy craft still hold the world record for the largest helium-filled airships.

Akron was destroyed in a thunderstorm off the coast of New Jersey on the morning of 4 April 1933, killing 73 of the 76 crewmen and passengers. The accident involved the greatest loss of life in any airship crash.

This rare American airship souvenir dish is in excellent condition with no cracks or damage to the metal, just some slight loss of gilt to the finish.

It measures 5.1” (13cm) by 2.9” (7.5cm) and weighs 48g.

Please see my pictures for the details of the condition, which complement this description.

Please see my TERMS OF BUSINESS regarding Deliver Charges and Insurance regarding additional insurance cover, should you require it, BEFORE the item is dispatched.

The responsibility lies with the customer to check with your Customs restrictions that this item can be imported into your country.

Thank you for taking the time to look.

Code: 51308