Name/Title
Škodaexport navy vinyl zip coin/key purse with gilt key motif (promotional)Entry/Object ID
2025.1.348Description
Small flat zippered purse of black vinyl (PVC), organically shaped (broad teardrop / shoe-sole outline). The front face has a flocked, matte "suede-look" vinyl finish, stamped in gold with an ornate skeleton key (foliate/quatrefoil bow) and, at lower left, a gold rectangular banner cartouche reading SKODAEXPORT. The back face is smooth vinyl with an allover blind-embossed lattice of diamonds enclosing small florette/asterisk motifs. A brown zipper tape runs around the convex edge with a brass-tone pull; a small navy vinyl tab/loop projects at the narrow end.Context
A promotional/advertising giveaway of Škodaexport, the Czechoslovak state foreign-trade enterprise for Škoda Works of Plzeň — the largest Czechoslovak heavy-engineering and arms conglomerate (locomotives, turbines, power and industrial equipment). Under the socialist planned economy, Škoda's exports were directed mainly to the Eastern Bloc and allied states; socialist Cuba was a Czechoslovak trade partner (Škoda buses and machinery, among other goods). A branded vinyl coin/key purse of this kind is a corporate gift/souvenir.Collection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, Leopoldo Arús Caraballo collectionMade/Created
Manufacturer
ŠkodaexportPlace
Country
CzechoslovakiaRegion
Eastern EuropeContinent
EuropeNotes
Issuer / brand: Škodaexport (Czechoslovak foreign-trade enterprise for Škoda Works, Plzeň). Confirmed from the gold cartouche. Manufacturer of the purse itself (a contract novelty maker) unknown.
Date: circa 1960s–1980s — tentative; consistent with Škodaexport's socialist-era promotional activity and the vinyl/zip format. No date mark.
Place: Czechoslovakia (issuer); purse manufacture presumably Czechoslovak, unconfirmed.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
InscriptionTranscription
SkodaexportLanguage
EnglishNotes
Front lower left, gold banner cartouche: SKODAEXPORT (confirmed; earlier illegible due to the diagonal angle and flocked surface).
Front center, gold-tooled ornate skeleton key (decorative motif).
Back, blind-embossed diamond-lattice with florette motifs (decorative).Materials
Material
SyntheticMaterial Notes
vinyl (PVC); brown zipper tape (textile); brass-tone metal zipper and pull; gold foil tooling.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Leopoldo Arús CaraballoNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
Country
CzechoslovakiaRegion
Eastern EuropeContinent
EuropeNotes
productionPlace
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
useCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
March 31, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 17, 2026
