Thread Number: 23113
1952 GENERAL ELECTRIC ( CGE Italy )
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Post# 258633   12/5/2013 at 19:44 (3,765 days old) by guido (ITALY)        

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In 1952 the italian division of GE - called CGE for Compagnia Generale di Elettricitą ( opened in Milano in 1921 and finally closed down in 1994 )- launched this incredible vacuum cleaner.
It shows a very streamlined design and -like many other CGE products - it's a very heavy and well built machine. As you can see the design is not exactly "european" but very much "american classic". I would be curious to know if this model was ever produced in USA too...can some american collector maybe help ?
Also there is a series of beautiful blenders and coffee grinders from the same series . Take a look ! All this machines are quite rare in Italy too nowadays, but so well built and amazing design...here's what I was able to find in the last years :


Post# 258634 , Reply# 1   12/5/2013 at 19:46 (3,765 days old) by guido (ITALY)        
Here is the VACUUM CLEANER

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Here is the VACUUM CLEANER

Post# 258635 , Reply# 2   12/5/2013 at 19:49 (3,765 days old) by guido (ITALY)        
attachments

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attachments ( unfortunately the tube has been badly squeezed in a point....don't think I can do something )

Post# 258636 , Reply# 3   12/5/2013 at 19:53 (3,765 days old) by guido (ITALY)        
Anh here are the blenders and grinders fromthe same series

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.

Post# 258637 , Reply# 4   12/5/2013 at 19:56 (3,765 days old) by guido (ITALY)        
an old advertising fromthe 1950's

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.

Post# 258639 , Reply# 5   12/5/2013 at 19:57 (3,765 days old) by guido (ITALY)        
and another

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1950's advert

Post# 258640 , Reply# 6   12/5/2013 at 19:58 (3,765 days old) by guido (ITALY)        
and another

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Another small vacuum cleaner brush from CGE called LIZ :

Post# 258675 , Reply# 7   12/6/2013 at 07:01 (3,765 days old) by funvacfan (Canada)        
What beautiful

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pieces! Both the vacuum and the blenders! Great colours too.

Here is Canada, we had CGE as well. Canadian General Electric.

Guy


Post# 258677 , Reply# 8   12/6/2013 at 07:04 (3,765 days old) by singingrainbow (Texas)        

I absolutely love the style! Truly a great find. I do think there were some very similarly shaped GE machines but I don't know for sure.

Scott


Post# 258678 , Reply# 9   12/6/2013 at 08:10 (3,765 days old) by guido (ITALY)        
The 3 lines....

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Yes, i can only suppose all this machines were designed in the USA by General Electric for CGE italian division : some other machines produced by CGE are infact the same ( such as many classic fans and other cleaners such as the SWIVEL TOP ) but other are - i think - exclusive models for Italy.

PLEASE NOTICE THE RECURRING "3 LINES-DECORATION" AN ALL MACHINES : SEEMS LIKE SOMEONE AT General Electric WAS OBSESSED with this sort of signature...


Post# 258919 , Reply# 10   12/8/2013 at 10:55 (3,763 days old) by Collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)        

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Its a great looking machine. I don't recall anything quite like it in the American or Canadian GE lines.

Post# 259011 , Reply# 11   12/8/2013 at 17:32 (3,762 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield & London)        
General Electric

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Guido

It seems to me that it owes much more in its design to Universal models, see "CreviceTool's" current thread "An EBay horror story..........(not)" for an example of their cleaner. Now I admit it is not an exact copy but it is close. I know for a fact that Universal designs were copied in the UK, Holland and Russia so maybe in other countries too. But its still a great looking cleaner

Al


Post# 259107 , Reply# 12   12/9/2013 at 19:13 (3,761 days old) by guido (ITALY)        
yeah...I ve already read and much enjoyed that thread !

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Well Al, yes there are some similarities ( i have some other in my computer - now on repair - and hope to post them soon here ) but I think the italian CGE line was probably more expensive and "luxury" models if compared to the universal line.
Anyway - in those years - there were many models arouund that - like CGE or Universal - looked like rockets and were much influenced by space age.

CGE proposed this novelties - including some crazy wall mounted freezers which were also present in the american catalogues - in the very early fifties - probably too early for Italy at the time - and are quite rare to find today. Electric items entered the italian homes only in the late fifties-early sixties....most houses did not have a fridge until 1960 here by us - believe it or not ! 1957 - 1960 were the years of the italian "electrical boom" but most electric devices quickly became cheap and lightweight ( Moulinex, Calor and Girmi were the low-quality top sellers at the time ). The war of prices kept quality always rather low - with few exeptions - but by that time many high quality brands were already going out of the market ( CGE lost its train and by 1966 the production of electric kitchenalia was over, concentrating the brand on radios and televisions ).



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