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Post-WW2 mark with a golden item number and leading "G".
The Charles Sadek Import Company was founded in 1936 by the father and son team of Charles and Norman W. Sadek and started off by importing large numbers of figurines and such from manufacturers in Japan. Over the years various suppliers from countries like China, Thailand, and other low-wage countries provided a " ... wide range of selections offering the finest quality at exceptional value ... ". Such items where, for example, sold under the Andrea by Sadek brand, named after Norman's daughter Andrea (often incorrectly claimed to be the daughter of Charles).
During later years the Sadek business also included another division, J. Willfred. Charles Sadek passed away 1970-JAN-05 at the age of 76; Norman W. Sadek passed away on 2010-NOV-13 at the age of 92. Business continued under the president Jim Sadek (Norman's son) as well as Andrea and Lauren Sadek, both vice presidents, until Sadek was taken over by Fitz & Floyd in 2015.
This entry is a good example why not to rely on business information systems, even if they provide an "inform of changes" function. In this case I learned of their closure years after the fact during correspondence with a visitor. Sure, it was my fault for not having double cross-checked now and then, but what use are those sites if you have to check everything manually anyway?
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Post-WW2 mark with a golden item number and leading "G".
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Another item number with leading "G" and some remains of an old sticker.
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Nice clear marking showing the "M-xxx" number in red.
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Here one can just make out the red "M-" and the ending "0" of the item number (left hand side).
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Sticker with "Andrea by Sadek" on a Japanese Kutani item.
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Sticker with "Andrea by Sadek" on a different Japanese item.
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Sticker with "Andrea" and capital "S" used in the 1970s (info by Sadek themselves); this mark shape was already used in 1960s newspaper ads.
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Mark of the Winterthur series, earlier version with "Andrea by Sadek".
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Mark of the Winterthur series, a later used version.
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One of the last mark forms used, here with "Made in Thailand".
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