I feel that I scored with my most recent KLM house acquisition: I paid less than $5, including shipping, for a 1970’s version of house #6 (first made in 1955), which was the only house of the 1st ten that was modeled after a real structure instead of someone’s idealized version of what a canal house “should” look like.
It is in perfect shape with the original stickers in place, the makers mark and house number on the bottom are clear and bright, the cork is intact and there is residue of apricot brandy still inside – as opposed to the modern genever, which I believe has led to the darker ceramic color and blotches. The detail on the form and the attention to detail with the blue glaze application is rustic to say the least, especially compared side by side with the same house from 1997, which is how they are now displayed.
To get extra nerdy: This house is modeled on the now-demolished St-Petrus Hous – Achter het Hofplein, which was built in town of Middelburg around 1530. There is some some conjecture (including on the KLM app) says that the house is was modeled after the Het Houten Huys” (The Wooden House, Begijnhof 34, Amsterdam) but the world’s leading authority on KLM houses argues for the former.
