Nevada Small Metal Tray Souvenir

PACIFIC + SOUTHWEST. 
Home Decor, Decorative Tray / Ashtray, Souvenir, c. 1950. 

These small metal trinket trays / ashtrays (which incorporated tell-tale cigarette rest notches) were very popular for a run of years following World War II. Sold in souvenir shops across America and Canada when smoking was still very much a mainstream habit, these trays, each with a specific regional connection, were bought as souvenirs of trips taken / sights-seen and certainly given as gifts to family and friends. Many of these trays have come to us with a string loop tied to the top rim indicating they were hung about as decorations, perhaps even on Christmas trees during the season. The trays were mass-produced by way of intricate custom molds, be it a state or a site, with the finished piece lightly hand-painted to pull out details unique to each tray. The rim would contain the title and notable details, Nevada’s filled with outdoor settings and, of course, gambling scenes. There is a pine-rimmed illustration of Lake Tahoe and a crowded roulette table for Las Vegas. There is the state capitol for Carson City and what was an interesting (and for the western states common) addition of an Indian reservation, the Duck Valley along the state’s northern boundary. The rim contains a colorful run of state symbols and sites: cards and dice, what seems the representation of a prospector with his trusty mule, a cactus and flowering vine, and the Hoover Boulder Dam accurately pinned to the tray rim’s southeastern edge. As with all the small trays in this souvenir series, it bears the mark: “Made in Japan.” This will seem curious considering the violent events of the early-mid 20th century. Here is a bit more background … Following Japan’s surrender in September 1945 ending World War II, Japan was a military occupied country. This continued until the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1952 returned national sovereignty to the island nation. Once international trade was allowed to resume in 1947, the General Headquarters of the Allied Forces (GHQ a mostly American military government charged with running the conquered nation) mandated that export items carry the label: “Made in Occupied Japan.” The directive was updated in 1949 for use minus the word “Occupied.” As a result these two labels “Made in Occupied Japan” and “Made in Japan” (often just “Japan”) can be dated with specificity to the 15-20 years following the Second World War. They have become markers for valuable vintage memorabilia. [CONDITION: Used Good. The main inset of this tray is in very good condition, the dabs of hand-painted detail still sharp. The rim shows the wear of old age, especially the top and left side where the metal plating has worn away, the state name itself slightly dulled. Still, the intricate, and as a result delicate, rim is still fully intact without any breaks or bent corners, a common malady for these trays—most three-quarters of a century old.] 

Condition: Used Good. 
Local / Regional Areas. 
Dimensions: 4” wide x 5.5” high x 0.25” deep / 4 oz