From Ronald W. Kenyon’s collection
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ronald, who writes:
I am 83 years old now. When I was actively DXing from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, some stations, such as Radio Prague and Radio Nederland, and clubs such as the Japan Short Wave Club (JSWC) organized contests with prizes, usually special QSL cards.
In 1957, Radio Nederland ran a DX contest and offered a special QSL card. The JSWC offered a special QSL card to SWLers who received confirmation of their special 5th Anniversary broadcasts from eight stations between December 1956 and January 1957. I reproduced the JSWC card and the Radio Nederland card in my book, QSL: How I Traveled the World and Never Left Home.
Perhaps on this occasion or another occasion, Radio Nederland ran a contest and offered
prizes. I won one of these prizes, a silver-plated commemorative sugar scoop spoon made by “Schonenberg.”
I illustrated it on the colophon of my book.Googling “Schonenberg,” I couldn’t figure out where it was located. Some said the Netherlands, some said Canton Thurgau, Switzerland, and one source (obviously wrong) said England.
“Wettig gedept” on the box is abbreviated Dutch for Wettig gedeponeerd “legally deposed,” which suggests “Trademark Registered” in English. Thus, I conclude that the spoons are made in the Netherlands–logical for Radio Nederland to have its prizes manufactured in its own country!
Questions:
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- When did this contest take place?
- What were the rules of the contest?
- How many Schonenberg spoons were offered as prizes?
- Were there other prizes?
Ronald
Readers: If you can help Ronald answer these questions, please comment!
I have learned that there is an irresistible emotion among many humans to collect anything under the sun. It seems that we are born to be collectors: stamps, coins, seashells, Beanie Babies, beer coasters…anything, There are, apparently, a few people who do collect H.J. Schonenberg & Zoon commemorative spoons. And there are people who collect SWL memorabilia, too, of course. My collection of QSL cards is now available for consultation in a museum in California and in my book, QSL. All I have left is the Radio Nederland Schonenberg demitasse spoon, so I’ll post it on eBay and see what happens. When you are 83 years old, you realize that you can’t take it with you. You need to learn to let things go.
I am 83 and have no heirs and I’ve been selling items on eBay since March. I am considering selling this Radio Nederland Schonenberg spoon on eBay. First of all, there are very few Schonenberg items for sale, but I found some more information about a Schonenberg spoon from an item posted by a seller in Miami that substantiates the information from Andreas:
It is marked [on the] reverse:
SB* 90 for 90 grams of silver plate per 1000 grams. The SB* [SB+asterisk] maker’s mark is a
high-end jeweler mentioned from 1790 through the 1930s, H.J. Schonenberg &
Zoon, Utrecht.
The same markings are on my Radio Nederland spoon. However, my item can’t be from the 1930s since Radio Nedereland started broadcasting in 1947. The seller in Miami is offering his item for $29.95, so I thought I would offer mine for $35.00 since it includes the box. Would anyone be interested in acquiring it? It would be a nice gift for a SWLer!
Ronald
WPE4AE
This is a very kind offer and I hope someone takes you up on it. I considered it, but I really don’t know what I would do with it except put it away in a drawer or storage box. I still have my mother’s spoon rack and it is full — if there was an empty slot I would be even more tempted, I think.
I loved listening to Radio Nederland in the late 60’s. This was the interval signal: https://youtu.be/TjI23oBfglQ
I remember that interval signal and many others I can hum today! I was even able to imitate the cackle of Radio Australia’s kookaburra. One of my favorites was the plaintive tune from NRK, Norsk Rikskringkasting. It’s from Symphony No. 1, Op. 26: Innover viddene. 1938, 51 by Eivind Groven. There’s the music and a recording played on a marimba (!) here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interval_signal. NRK terminated its foreign services on January 1, 2002. I remember that it was possible to purchase recordings of interval signals.
There is certainly a church in the Netherlands whose carillon played the music used by Radio Nederland. The Wikipedia lists over 50 carillons in the Netherlands, but it could be the one in Hilversum, the location of Radio Nederland: “The sound of its bell was broadcast live every hour on public radio stations until the 1960s, reflecting the town’s role as the principal media centre for the Netherlands. “
I found this:
The carillon bells played on the Radio Nederland interval signal came from two different locations over time:
Initially, the recording was made at the cathedral in Den Bosch.
In August 1987, this recording was replaced by a new one made at the carillon in Breda.
Maybe this is a place to start, it’s in Dutch but google to the rescue.
https://www.kustvaartforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=747&start=260
It’s a shipping related forum . If you post the picture there maybe someone will dig in.
Another option is a radio museum
https://www.rotterdamsradiomuseum.nl/
good luck and keep us updated
For Andreas, many thanks for defining once and for all the meaning of “Schonenberg.” You also confirmed that it was a former jewelry factory in Utrecht that is no longer in business.
For Adi, I checked kustvaatforum.com and found a picture of another demitasse spoon, from Radio Hilbrant Maasbracht.
The one unanswered question is why Radio Nederland sent those Schonenberg spoons. I thought about contacting Radio Nederland, but I learned this to my regret: “Radio Nederland Wereldomroep (Radio Netherlands Worldwide), the international broadcasting service of the Netherlands, ceased operations in 2012 due to budget cuts. Its focus shifted to digital media and partnerships rather than traditional radio broadcasting.”
I found dozens of collectible spoons on Replacements.com, but not one from Schonenberg!
Ronald
WPE4AE
Thanks to William for the information about the demitasse spoons. Certainly, there is a “story of the Radio Nederland spoons.” I wonder if anybody has published a catalogue of these spoons. Perhaps they broadcast a documentary program about Schonenberg. Perhaps somebody at Radio Nederland reading these posts will be able to elucidate the question.
Thanks to Dan for purchasing a copy of my book. Before I wrote it, I conducted research to determine if anybody, anywhere, had published a book illustrated with color reproductions of QSL cards. Nobody, anywhere! So, I published it. As of 2025, 223 copies have been sold worldwide. A bestseller!
If you look closely at the bowl of the spoon, you’ll see a self-portrait of me holding my iPhone, distorted by anamorphosis!
Ronald WPE4AE
Hi Ronald, I cannot help you with any of your questions but I can tell you something about “Schonenberg”. This is not the name of a city (or a place) but the name of a former jewelry factory in Utrecht, Netherlands. The full name and address was H.J. Schonenberg & Zoon [later: Schonenberg N.V.], Bijouteriefabrikanten, Oude Gracht 34, Utrecht. So “Schonenberg” was actually the last name of the owner. I’m pretty sure the “U” in the stamp stands for Utrecht.
Although I was a regular listener to Radio Nederland, I’m afraid I can’t help with any of the questions. However, I did want to comment on the spoon.
These were called demitasse spoons and apparently they were quite popular with collectors many years ago. There were specially made spoon racks that could be hung on the wall to display a collection. My mother had quite a few and lots of places sold them to tourists. She had spoons from places such as San Francisco, Salem, Mackinac Bridge, Niagara Falls, 1982 Worlds Fair, Virgin Islands, etc.
Congrats on your book, Ronald. I bought my copy during Covid and enjoy looking through it periodically. Maybe contact Jonathan Marks. He might have a suggestion on who you could contact regarding your spoon questions.
73, Dan Greenall