No. 1: “Engelsgeläut” (Angel Chime) (31 x 16 cm.)

By 1910 Adrian & Stock had embarked on a full line of angel chimes, with the original “Posaunenchor mit der Geburt Christi” chime, redesigned and simplified, designated as “No. 1” of an expanding series. As redesigned, the angels are smaller, the candle holder is reduced to a simple platform, the bell supports are cheaply formed of wire, and the nativity scene is printed flat, on a single sheet of tin. A variant of this chime, offered without the lithographed nativity scene, is labeled “No. 4½” in Stock catalogues of the 1920s. Two boxes are illustrated below, neither of which names the maker. The one on the left identifies the chime as “No. 610,” indicating that it was probably marketed by a firm other than Stock. The box on the right, with “Made in Germany” on the lid, and accompanied by an instruction sheet in English, indicates that it was meant for the British and/or American markets. Note also the illustration of the chime taken from a 1927 German Christmas catalogue, priced at 1 Mark 5 Pfennigs.

No. 2: “Krippe mit Engelgeläut” (Nativity with Angel Chime)

Among the rarest and most interesting of the Stock Christmas chimes is this combination “Krippe mit Engelgeläut” (Nativity scene with angel chime), or, as it is often labelled on original boxes, "Weihnachts-Krippe" (Christmas Nativity Scene). Unlike most of the Adrian & Stock chimes, No. 2 was intended for tabletop use only, or for display beneath a Christmas tree. Originally produced ca. 1910, by the 1920s there were two versions of this chime.

No. 2A. In this, the earlier and cheaper model No. 2A, a standard angel chime sits atop a nativity scene of lithographed tin, with cutouts of the kings and shepherds; motive power for the impeller is provided by two candles in front, and two behind. The illustrations below include an example of the chime; two boxes (the one on the left probably dating from the launch of the chime ca. 1910, the one on the right from the 1920s); the original 1910 instruction sheet; and a page from a 1927 German Christmas catalogue, showing the chime priced at 1 Mark 95 Pfennigs. Note that in the catalogue illustration the chime has been assembled incorrectly: the two central candle holders ought to be at the back! (30 x 22 cm., base 21 x 9 cm.)
 

No. 2B. In the more elaborate and expensive model 2B, two candles ingeniously suspended behind the façade power the impeller, which moves not only the angels above, but also a carousel of the Three Kings below, so that they seem to pass in procession before the Holy Family. The illustrations show an example from the 1920s, which features a colorful ring of lithograph angels instead of a plain impeller, and a base designed as a holder for candy or chocolate. The name of the wholesaler (bicycle manufacturer August Stukenbrok) appears on the box, but the Stock name does not: a marketing ploy which allowed Stock to expand their market for these and other toys. This example includes the rare original instruction sheet. (32 x 22 cm., base = 22 x 8 cm.)


 

No. 3/No. 6: “Engelsgeläut” (Angel Chime) (33.5 x 15 cm.)

Below are three examples of the standard “cheap” angel chime offered beginning in the 1920s, and produced by the Stock firm and its successor Paul Hartkopf well into the 1960s. All of them re-use the central star motif originally designed for the 1905 "“Engel-Weihnachts-Geläut" (No. 0, above).   

No. 3 features a variant of the standard Stock lithographed Nativity scene in the central star ornament, and gold angels. The illustrations include a woodcut of this chime, reproduced from a 1929 Adrian & Stock catalogue. The design of the box dates this example to the 1940s or 1950s.

No. 3A features a Father Christmas or “Weihnachtsmann” figure accompanied by cherubs, and silver "floating angels." This example was probably also produced by Stock's successor Paul Hartkopf in the 1940s or 1950s.

No. 6 is a later and even cheaper variant of the No. 3 series, having only two candles, and a simple, round baseplate instead of folding wire candle-holders. As the box indicates, this particular chime was imported to the US by the Shackman company of New York. The instruction sheet states "W.-Germany," which dates the chime to sometime after WWII, and thus to the period of Stock's successor Paul Hartkopf.

 

No. 5: “Weihnachtsgeläute” (Christmas Chimes) (32 x 18 cm.)

By the 1920s, the original Stock Engelgeläut had diversified into a range of forms, of which model series No. 5 was the most elaborate. It came in two versions:

No. 5. The fancier of the two models (usually designated simply as “No. 5”) featured two pairs of chimes, and an impeller incorporating a ring of lithographed angels, with a banner announcing in German, “Glory to God in the Highest.” The colorful lithographic nativity scene is adapted from the “Krippe mit Engelgeläut” model series No. 2. The illustration at right below is reproduced from a 1931 German toy catalogue, courtesy of fellow collector Eva Friedrich.

No. 5A. No. 5A, illustrated below, was a simpler and cheaper version of No. 5. It had only two chimes, and it used the standard Stock impeller and angels. Some boxes for chime No. 5A incorporate the rarely-seen stamped Adrian & Stock logo, partly visible at upper right in the photo second from the right below. Because Adrian & Stock distributed their chimes through a number of different Solingen firms, the Stock name and mark is generally not found on the pieces, or their packaging.

No. 12: “Knusperhäuschen” (Gingerbread House) (26.5 x 22 cm., base = 22 x 8 cm.)

Also dating from the 1920s, this Stock chime features the story of Hänsel and Gretel, which in Germany is strongly associated with the Christmas season — an association echoed in America, by the way, in the holiday popularity of gingerbread houses. The design is very similar to that of the elaborate Nativity chime No. 2B, but here the impeller powers a tableau in which the old witch chases the children in and out of the Gingerbread House. Like No. 2B, this chime also has a candy-box base. The base is usually found in plain green; this variant has an attractive lithograph pattern of grass, flowers and mushrooms. Examples like this, in as-new condition and with an original box, are a rare survival. Also shown is a reproduction from the 1910 Stock toy catalogue, showing an earlier, non-chiming version of this toy, not in my collection — yet.

The Adrian & Stock firm was bought out in 1933 by Paul Hartkopf, who continued production of selected Stock angel chime models (notably No. 5A, and the cheap versions of Engelsgeläut No. 3) until the late 1960s. At the dissolution of the Paul Hartkopf company a large number of these chimes remained unsold, and have since found their way into the market. They turn up quite often on eBay, in as-new condition, and in original boxes.