Original WWII Period Dutch National Socialist Propaganda Printing Plate (Letterpress Cliché) – Marked “JTV” – Maker Marked “GWK”

This rare and historically significant object is an original WWII-era professional printing plate (letterpress cliché) , used for the production of National Socialist propaganda and organizational announcements in the Netherlands during the pre-war and early wartime period.

Unlike paper pamphlets or posters, this item represents the actual production tool with which propaganda material was created — making it considerably rarer and of higher historical importance.

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Description & Function

The plate was designed as a reusable announcement template , featuring fixed headings with open fields intended to be completed locally:

• ORGANIZATION (Organization)
• PLACE
• TYPE (Type)
• TIME

At the center is the designation “JTV” , flanked by stylized hands holding the name panel — a visual motif typical of 1930s–1940s authoritarian and collectivist propaganda design. The lower section prominently features a National Socialist swastika , leaving no doubt as to the ideological context.

Such plates were used to rapidly print announcements for:

• meetings
• youth gatherings
• organizational events
• political or ideological activities

The details (place, type, time) would be added per event, allowing repeated use of the same plate.

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Construction & Authenticity

This is not a hand stamp , but a professionally manufactured letterpress printing cliché , intended for use in a commercial or semi-professional printing environment.

• Mounted on a solid wooden block (typical beech/birch used in print shops)
• Fitted with a cast metal relief plate (zinc or lead alloy)
• Factory mounted using period-correct fasteners
• Original surface patina consistent with age and printing use

The metal plate is clearly marked “GWK” , which is understood to be the manufacturer or engraving atelier mark of the graphic workshop that produced the cliché. This mark is embedded in the metal itself, confirming original manufacture rather than later modification.

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Historical Context

The Dutch language used (“Organization”, “Place”, “Kind”, “Time”) confirms Netherlands or Flemish usage , while the iconography and swastika place the object firmly within the National Socialist ideological sphere .

The designation “JTV” refers to a structured organization operating within this context. While the full written name of the organization has not yet been conclusively identified through surviving archival material, the professional production of this plate demonstrates that it was not a minor or ad-hoc group , but an organized movement with sufficient scale to commission reusable propaganda tools.

Based on typography, construction technique and materials, the plate can be confidently dated to the mid-1930s to early 1940s , prior to wartime material shortages that largely ended such production.

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Rarity & Collectability

Printing plates of this type are significantly rarer than the pamphlets themselves , as:

• Most were destroyed after the war
• Possession of such items was dangerous in the immediate post-war period
• Production tools were far more likely to be scrapped than paper material

As a result, this piece represents a primary source artifact — a tool of propaganda creation rather than a disposable end product.

It would be highly suitable for:

• Advanced WWII or occupation-era collections
• Research collections
• Museum or educational displays focused on propaganda mechanisms
• Serious collectors of original Third Reich and collaboration-period material

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Summary

• Original WWII period Dutch National Socialist printing plate
• Professional letterpress cliché mounted on wood
• Marked “JTV” (organization designation)
• Maker marked “GWK”
• Reusable propaganda/announcement template
• Dated approximately 1935–1942
• Weird survival of a propaganda production tool

A powerful and increasingly scarce artifact illustrating how ideology was organized, announced and disseminated at local level during one of Europe's darkest periods.