Hedgehogs and History

I frequently search Ebay and Etsy for trinkets that I think Kari will like (tolerate). My personal style is probably a little more eclectic than hers so I have to dial back. She frequently gives me the "you are so odd" or "you can put that up in YOUR office" look when I see something I really like. When looking for items to decorate the house I am amazed by the discrepancy in prices. I hold the idea that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay, but sometimes I wonder how a "price" is determined. I recently bought a unique nesting hedgehog set made of brass that was titled "Hedgehog Stacking Ashtrays."



I really love the aesthetic. Once it arrived I proceeded to display it on the beforementioned shelves in the bedroom. In a fit of boredom I thought I would see if there were variations in the design or similar sets. I was floored. There are currently 2 sets of Hedgehog "stacking ashtrays" on Ebay for $249 and one for $298, there is an incomplete set selling for $99. Why is this amazing? I paid $13 for mine and it is an original Walter Bosse Vienna Bronze Hedgehog Ashtray Set.



Once I started looking at the pictures online I thought I had a copy or variation of the design since the base hedgehog didn't have a long nose like those in other pictures. Then I found a few pics of all the pieces and realized the piece is a 1947 Walter Bosse cast, but I am missing the largest "ashtray." Either way I love the hedgehogs and they sit on our shelf defying the Moshe's attempts to knock them off.



The backstory to items like these are equally intriguing. The hedgehogs were designed by Walter Bosse, an Austrian designer known for his modern Vienna Bronze figurines. Interestingly he died impoverished as a result of other artists copying his work, he spent years in court trying to receive royalties for his designs, as a result of his efforts he is considered the founder of modern copyright law for designer goods and handicrafts. When he passed, he was buried without a gravestone. Years later a consortium of collectors had a gravestone designed using his infamous hedgehogs for inspiration.