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Israeli Corkscrews

With the exception of the urn with cap lifter top, all of the Israeli corkscrews pictured here are cast complete with somewhat inadequate worm. The pieces are designed for form and not necessarily for function. The urn has a similar worm hinged to the back.

Pal-Bell

From the introduction to the Pal-Bell 1950s catalog: "Traditional designs worked out by artisans on resilient brass and modern shapes express Israel's individual contribution to the field of handicrafts. The tasteful collection of native workmanship available to you through Pal Bell Co. Ltd. will arouse the interest of the discerning buyer who searches for authenticity and decorative value. The various articles presented in this collection are made basically of brass and finished in the antiqued green patina as well as in dark natural hue. With an eye to the artistic as well as to utility, the handworked and hand-finished pitchers, vases, bowls, and trays, will charm your home to utmost.

The name Pal Bell endeavours to represent incomparable quality. Its standard of production is well known in the world of handicrafts, and underlies the successful introduction on the American and European marked, on these past years, of the finest native artisanship."

Above and below: Five corkscrews from the Pal Bell Catalog

On Pal-Bell.com we learn that Pal-Bell was founded in 1939 by Maurice Ascalon (formerly known as Moshe Klein) in Tel-Aviv, Israel. founded Pal-Bell Co. Ltd. to create decorative and functional metal objects. The firm was very active in the 1950s.

Eric Ascalon writes "My grandfather Maurice, who passed away in 2003, was the founder of Pal-Bell. At their prime, they employed about 100 people in their factory To my knowledge, they only produced items under the Pal-Bell mark. "

Ascalon added "To my knowledge, the only corkscrews Pal-Bell produced are the ones in the catalogue [the six pictured above]. I have never come across any other designs that contain the Pal-Bell mark. From my experience collecting Pal-Bell, the corkscrews are a pretty rare item. We have no records of how many were produced, but I rarely if ever see them on eBay (whereas some other Pal-Bell designs make almost daily appearances)."

Dr. Giori Ram of Ramat Hasharon , Israel, notes that some of the employees of Pal-Bell, having learned the business, opened their own workshops. A prominent metalware worker even prior to the 1950s was a artist named Oppenheim who produced a number of items marked HAND MADE IN PALESTINE. After the 1950s, Oppenheim and some of the other workshops bought Pal-Bell from Moshe Klein and produced their own lines as well as products from Pal-Bell moulds. Many of the objects can be found stamped MADE IN ISRAEL in English and in Hebrew.

Hakuli

Dr. Ram says Hakuli was a manufacturer of metalware operating in the 1950s and 1960s.

We asked Eric Ascalon if there was any connection between Pal-Bell and Hakuli. He replied "I wish I could be of more assistance with respect to the connection between Hakuli and Pal-Bell, but I'm not aware of any (which isn't to say that there was not a connection). Hakuli could be a product of a former employee (who "borrowed" the machining from the Pal-Bell factory), which might explain the similar worm. But this is just speculation."

Markings on Israeli Corkscrews

none	Made in Israel	none
none	none	none
Made in Israel	Hakuli Israel	Made in Israel
none	none	none
Hakuli Israel	Hakuli Israel	none
none	none	Hakuli P-147 Israel
none	Made in Israel	none
Made in Israel	Made in Israel Pat. 1337	Israel
none		none
Made in Israel		Hakuli Israel
none
Made in Israel
Made in Israel

Israeli Knockoffs

During the 1930s a number of applications for Registered Designs for animal figures with corkscrews and other objects were filed in England. These included a variety of dogs, elephants, pixies, cats, and pigs. The free standing corkscrews were also produced in Sweden and Austria. Unlike the Israeli one piece castings, all of the figure were castings and the corkscrew was either screwed in to the casting or add to the casting. In the first column below are Israeli corkscrews. All of these were apparently produced after the non-Israeli designs in the second and third columns.

Reader Helgir Solheim comments "There was definitely a connection between the Austrian producers/designer and the Israelis. A number of the known Austrians were of Jewish descent. Some of their employees emigrated to Israel before and after the World War II. Among them were some who started to produce souvenirs including designs in a number of the corkscrews we find from that early period.

Getting steel worms in that period was a problem because of import restrictions and government regulations that gave priority to the use of steel to what was considered as more 'urgent' or 'necessary' utensils. Hence we see all these corkscrews cast all in on piece in brass or bronze, a material that had less restrictions when used. The method was in addition cheaper but the corkscrew unfortunately inferior. The same can be said to apply for many of the former Communist countries who had similar regulations resulting in many of the corkscrews we find that are cast in one piece."

Made in Israel	England	Baller Austria
Hakuli Israel	Baller Austria
	RR Made in Austria
	WHW Hagenauer Wien

The Israeli cat on the left has a tag on the bottom. From Gideon Remez of Jerusalem we learned this is a sales tax sticker/decal, indicating that the tax on this item was paid but not specifying the sum..

The cat on the right was designed in Austria by Richard Rohac (see mark on right below).

Reader Ed Wolfe found an Airdale marked MADE IN ISRAEL on the bottom of the front feet (above left). The worm is slightly different from the one reported earlier.

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Marked Israel

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Bull's 2007 Best Six

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