Please help me find a replacement for this tray for my wife

The teddy bear tray below is broken. It has sentimental value for my wife (if you were sick or anything as a kid this is what cookies and hot chocolate were delivered on), and I would very much like to replace it. I'm guessing it was made in the 1970s. But there are no identifying marks to tell me the maker or anything. If anyone know's anything about it I would really appreciate it. I'm going to glue this one back together if I can, but there's a chunk missing from it that I'm going to have to epoxy, the paint is messed up, the cracks don't really line up very well. So I'd like to replace it for her.

Broken Tray by mjmiller1824 posted Aug 12, 2019 at 5:12 PM

 

Plastic maybe bakelite just from how it broke, very inflexible, it looks like it's silk screened.

 

Is there anything on the back?

Highly unlikely to be Bakelite, by the time this was made other plastics were being used.

 

Nothing on the back, no identifying marks at all. And you're right it's probably not bakelite based on the era, but it's very brittle.

 

Likely they're lacquer trays made in Japan, possibly by Otagiri or Toyo... but there were probably a lot of makers. Kudos to you for trying to make your spouse happy and find a replacement!

 

The closest I found was a design called Barenliebe by a designer named R Lumm for a German company called Ricolor (if I'm reading things correctly). My guess is fiberglass.

 

Definitely not fiber glass. I've worked with that. This is straight plastic.

 

This pic comes from Google images and is a dead end link (not available for purchase), but maybe someone can read/recognize the writing on the piece in the back.

 

Or possibly something that is no help at all:


The accompanying text (by the seller) for this one says "Vintage Three Pieces Lacquer Set Made in Japan Expressely for The Market Place, Santa Trays, Christmas Tray in Original Box"

Don't know if that means anything to anyone.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/362666984158

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/401730693747

Asahi Trading Co 3 Piece Nesting Lacquerware Serving Tray Set

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/546314201/vintage-red-christmas-serving-nesting

 

Yours definitely looks to be one of those that came as part of a 3-piece set, & there seem to be lots of similar out there, including with Christmas motifs, many of them still in box, attributed to an assortment of companies/importers or no company at all. Think best bet is to keep searching from time to time by design description rather than to try to pin down a maker & search by that. If your tray has no maker's mark, neither will its replacement. Someone may be selling its twin without knowing maker.

 

I think you will probably find it closer to Christmas on ebay or etsy. Now that you know the company, I am sure it will turn up! Good luck! I will also keep an eye out at during my treasure hunting for you. Some of our thrifts have Christmas sections all year long.

 

Thank you all. Please keep this in mind as you look through your thrift finds. I put the original back together...sort of. But it need a lot of work, and I would prefer to find a replacement. Really thank you all.