Glass Advertising Ashtray, Autobedrijf W. van Kleef, Netherlands, c. 1960-1970

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A glass ashtray with an embedded promotional photograph, from Autobedrijf W. van Kleef. The base shows a black-and-white photograph of the garage frontage with the inscription "W. van Kleef" and a telephone number. Two passenger cars are parked in front of the building, recognisable as models from the 1960s. The rim is cut glass with a serrated profile, identical to the series to which other Dutch garage ashtrays of this period belonged. The piece is in good condition.

Glass advertising ashtrays were a common promotional gift in the fifties, sixties and seventies for garages and local traders. Made in series with a personalised base photograph, they served both as functional objects and brand carriers in the waiting room or on the counter. This example documents a car dealership at the moment when the Dutch street was still populated by compact European models, and the telephone number still fitted on the shopfront.