help dating pin/brooch Niagara Falls souvenir 1930s 40s? and a question about plastics

[laurenm]

I'm assuming that after the second world war you would see a West or East Germany mark? Not sure.....any thoughts? Also, does anyone have a 'rule of thumb' for designating something acrylic vs lucite vs plastic? I've heard of ways to distinguish lucite from bakelite and I think some of these terms are trade names, but when dealing with clear 'plastics' is there a way to accurately describe the material?
thanks alot,
Lauren

 

[Linn]

Lauren -

My "hunch" on this piece is very late 1940s to early 1950s. You don't necessarily see W. Germany on pieces that are made during this time. Germany was divided from 1949 - 1990. I have 1950s pieces marked Germany. I did a brief search and found a couple of similar pieces - one was Bohemian Glass - dated to the early 1950s and two were called Lucite dated to the same period. I don't know if either seller was correct, though, and I'll try to do a little bit more research but early 1950s is my hunch.

Lucite and Bakelite are trade names but they are used generically for plastics with the same or similar chemical make-up.

Let's see what others think about this piece.

Linn