FDR battleship ashtray/pen tray

A highly unusual ‘Trench Art’ cigar ashtray in the form of the battleship USS Iowa, of naive construction, this piece would have been made from found metal scavenged from old machinery or ammunition, and bears the initials of US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was on board the vessel in 1943 for a secret meeting with world leaders, including Winston Churchill. This ashtray, was most likely made as a commemorative piece, by sailors on board at the time. American, circa 1940s.

Length: 14½ inches (37 cms).

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