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Your absentee bid for Lot 033 - Antique German "Glücks-Figuren Mit Scherzeinlagen" ("Lucky Figures with Joke Inserts") Bleigießen Fortune-Telling Set with Eight Lead Figurines Including Pig, Zeppelin, Mushroom, and Wizard was successfully submitted—thank you for bidding with us!
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Lot 033 - Antique German "Glücks-Figuren Mit Scherzeinlagen" ("Lucky Figures with Joke Inserts") Bleigießen Fortune-Telling Set with Eight Lead Figurines Including Pig, Zeppelin, Mushroom, and Wizard
Lot 033 - Antique German "Glücks-Figuren Mit Scherzeinlagen" ("Lucky Figures with Joke Inserts") Bleigießen Fortune-Telling Set with Eight Lead Figurines Including Pig, Zeppelin, Mushroom, and Wizard
Boxed set of eight small lead figurines made for the traditional German New Year's Eve custom of Bleigießen (lead pouring). The figurines include a clown, mushroom, wizard, walnut, pinecone, zeppelin, pig, and a partially melted crown. Each figurine contains a hidden rolled paper fortune or joke insert. In practice, the figurines are distributed among a group and each person melts their figure on a tin spoon held over a gas or spirit flame, revealing the paper insert inside. The molten lead is then poured into a bowl of lukewarm water, where it solidifies into a random shape that is interpreted as a fortune for the coming year. The lid further notes that the solidified shapes can be held up to a light source and used for shadow pictures ("Schattenbilder"). The Bleigießen tradition was eventually banned in the European Union in 2018 due to concerns over lead toxicity.
The figurines are marked "Made in Germany" and "Germany" on the bases. The box lid reads "Gesetzlich geschützt" ("Legally protected"), the German equivalent of a patent or copyright notice. The box is in poor condition, with masking tape applied to the exterior for structural support.
Dimensions:
Dimensions of items in this lot range from 7/8" L x 7/8" W x 1-1/4" H to 1-1/8" L x 7/8" W x 1-3/4" H.
