Weinthal & Co., tobacconists, was founded ca 1867 in Rotterdam.

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Weinthal & Co. manufactured their own cigars. By WW II, there were 20 stores in Holland.

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There were five Weinthal & Co. stores in Rotterdam, including this one, and four in the Hague.

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This store was in Hoofdsteeg, in Rotterdam.

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The same view, after the bombardment of May 14, 1940.

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A former Weinthal & Co. store in the Hague is now a bookstore.

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A Weinthal & Co. sign was discovered here by the owner of the store, ca 2000, during a renovation.

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This is the same building before World War II. The Weinthal & Co sign hanging in the left window appears to be the sign that survived.

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The sign was hidden inside a wall, under five layers of wallpaper.

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The bookstore owner was kind enough to arrange for shipping. On December 26, 2014, the sign arrived at its new 'Weinthal' home in California.

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The crate weighed ~100 pounds.

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We placed it in the garage.

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To be continued...

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That night, we each took a turn with the screwdriver. First, Alexander.

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Then Becky.

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Then Warren.

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Then me.

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We lifted the lid...

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and found museum-quality packing, with the fragile glass sign safely in one piece.

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We noticed that some gold leaf on the "W" was flaking off, so we decided to pause the unpacking, pending an expert opinion. (to be continued)

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