Two JNF Boxes Shaped as Books – Germany and Israel

Two JNF Boxes Shaped as Books – Germany and Israel
Two ornamental boxes for collecting donations for the Jewish National Fund, shaped as books. Germany and Israel, [1930s-1960s].
1. An impressive ornamental box shaped as a book. Germany, [1930s].
The box is covered with blue leather. On its front panel, there is an impressed monogram of the Hebrew initials of the JNF, a star-of-David with a lion inside it and the Hebrew words "Jewish National Fund". On the side panel appears the Hebrew slogan "You shall give redemption for the land" and on its back panel, a map of Israel on which lands that had been redeemed by the JNF are marked.
2x7.5x11.5cm. Good condition. The leather covering is worn at the corners and edges. Stains on the brass parts.
2. An ornamental box shaped as a book. Made by Leon Königshofer. Israel, [1950s or 1960s]. The box is covered with brown faux leather printed in gold. On its front panel appears the logo of the JNF and on the back, a map of Israel without the areas of Judea and Samaria. On the side panel of the box appear the manufacturer's details. The dimensions of this box are larger than those of most ornamental boxes.
2x8.5x13cm. Good-fair condition. The covering is worn at the edges and corners. Stains. The printing is faded.
During the 1920s, with the dissemination of the Zionist vision and the activity of the JNF in the Diaspora and the JNF boxes becoming a common phenomenon, the JNF started manufacturing "Ornamental Boxes" shaped as books, to fit the houses of the middle and upper classes more than the simple tin boxes which were considered cheap. The boxes were meticulously designed; however, they were not as costly as the ornamental boxes that were made by artists (such as the Fleischhaker Boxes) and were therefore more common than the artistic boxes.
Literature: the Blue Box, by Prof. Shaul Ladani and Dotan Shulman, 2014. pp. 84-93.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.