German, Seed Merchants, Klein Wanzlebener Sugar Beet Seal

German, Klein Wanzlebener Beet Seal, Image by StuE, Found by Goretex.
Found in England, 21mm, 12.4g.

Sugar beet with top foliage overlaid by three compartment design each housing a five pointed star or flower head, KL. WANZ LEBENER / ORI- GINAL to sides, inscription around - SCHUTZMARKE curving downward above and RABBETHGE & GISECKE curving upwards below // inscription around the border - ORIGINAL * (six pointed star)

On PAS Paul Cannon wrote @ 18:06:22 @ 23rd December 2011. "Further to my earlier comment I can add that the seal definitely relates to the sugar beet industry in Klein Wanzlebener. A German colleague of mine said that this is an area in the former East Germany. It is even today famous for its sugar beet fields. My friend remembers the sugar beets on the road side by the action of the tractors. The correct reading of the seal comes from a German industrial archaeology site Zuckerfabrik Klein-Wanzleben vorm. Rabbethge & Giesecke A.-G.. The founder of the company was Christian Rabbethge who died in 1902. The name of the company changed in 1885 from GIESECKE & RABBETHGE. Seed production started in 1925. The above website shows that the original factory was demolished 1993. In 1990 1 million tons of sugar beet were processed by the company."