Original Item. Only One Available. This is an unusual translucent plastic cigarette case commemorating the International Military Tribunal at Nürnberg, Germany, in 1945. One side bears the tribunal title and date within a raised maroon field, while the reverse displays the Greater Arms of Nürnberg. The case has several cracks and a section missing from the thin throat of the lower half, but the lid remains removable and the principal decoration is retained.

The case is constructed in the compact “Jonny Box” style intended to hold the standard approximately 70mm unfiltered cigarettes commonly used during the period. The translucent material has an ivory colored appearance sometimes described as “ivoroid.”

One side of the case has a maroon painted raised area which reads:

INTERNATIONAL
MILITARY TRIBUNAL
1945
NÜRNBERG
GERMANY

The other side is marked with the Nuremberg Greater Arms. Nürnberg became a city in 1219 and became one of the most important cities in present Bayern. The city uses two different arms; the greater arms with the eagle with a king's head and the lesser arms with the eagle and red bends. Both were adopted in 1936. The lesser arms are known as the real arms since 1240, where they are first mentioned. The arms showed a shield divided into six bends silver (=white) and red (or: five times divided per bend). The arms are probably derived from the arms of the first Viscounts of Nürnberg. During the centuries the number of bends changed regularly and were finally fixed in 1936.

The case measures approximately 3"H x 2 3/8"W x 1". A section of material is missing from the thin throat of the lower case. A crack extends through the maroon inscription field, and several additional smaller cracks are present elsewhere across the body.

Despite this damage, the lid remains separate and can still be removed easily. Because of the brittle nature of early plastics and the existing cracks, the case should be handled gently and should not be flexed or forced.

The place of manufacture is unknown. It may have been produced in Germany for sale to American or other Allied personnel stationed in Nürnberg during the tribunal, but no maker’s mark, packaging, or provenance confirms its origin.

Souvenirs associated with the Nürnberg proceedings were acquired by military personnel, legal staff, journalists, interpreters, guards, and visitors who were present in the city during the postwar occupation. Items bearing the tribunal name document both the administration of international justice and the souvenir culture that developed around this historically significant event.

The complete tribunal inscription, 1945 date, and Nürnberg city arms give this example a direct visual connection to the opening year of the International Military Tribunal. The missing material and multiple cracks are substantial condition issues, but the case remains identifiable and would be relevant to a collection focused on the Nürnberg Trials or Allied occupation material.