Fourteen hundred years ago, a convent was started and grew into a small settlement. Two hundred years later, the city known today as Esslingen was founded.
As the city became more industrious, a canal system was constructed from one end of the city to the other by connecting the whole system with the river Neckar. Along the canals all the major industry settled, which is true up to this day.
This included Carl Deffner's metalworks factory. The postcard image at top depicts the area during his day. Some of the areas still look the same and many of the ancient buildings still stand today.
We hope you enjoy your stay here. If you are a collector, you might even find this helpful in some ways. No matter the reason, we hope you appreciate his talents as much as we do.
First of all, this whole collection started when I was searching on e-bay under �Esslingen�, which happens to be the city George is from. It�s funny, because all his life he lived there he had no interest in the town�s historic value or the artisans- living or dead -who had resided there. Now that he has been in the USA for some years and I have taken such an interest in his town, he too has found it interesting!
So under �Esslingen� I found an item for sale that was made by Carl Deffner. I bid on it and won. Then I started reading up about him and doing some research. That was not quite a year ago, but I was hooked. We both were. We continue to accumulate items and I will add them to this site as I get them.
Just a few more little bits about us. We�re best of friends and love to laugh. It keeps us young. We have many interests, but this is a new one that we share avidly. Not only that, George can�t break them! (he�s a bull in a china shop� lol)
We live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Our home is nestled in the foothills of Mt. Rainier and, barring clouds, we get to witness it�s beauty all the time. Here is a view from our front yard! It never ceases to leave me in awe.
