KLM's little house #104 is a station: here are all the secrets of the new collector's item
Today, October 7, KLM is celebrating its 104th year in business, and in keeping with tradition, the Dutch company unveiled its latest [...]
KLM
SkyTeam
Today, Oct. 7, KLM celebrates its 104th year in business and in keeping with tradition, the Dutch company presented the latest addition to its collection of Delftware replicas of buildings with a unique history.
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In the global aviation landscape there are many collectibles: the rubber ducks that Lufthansa, the teddy bears from Singapore Airlines, or the salt/pepper from Virgin Atlantic, but nothing is minimally comparable to the little houses of KLM.
The little house #104
This new miniature depicts The oldest station building in the Netherlands, located in Valkenburg aan de Geul, in the province of Limburg. The station is still in use as a stop on the Heuvelland line between Maastricht and Heerlen. Now nearly 170 years old, the building is a national heritage site owned by NS Dutch Railways and the railway management company ProRail.
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The latest addition to the collection was presented to local mayor Daan Prevoo by KLM president and CEO Marjan Rintel at a reception held in front of the station building, attended by several hundred guests.
The castle-like station building was designed by architect Jacob Enschedé in the English neo-Gothic style, with angular towers and battlements, in keeping with the preferred style of the lavish baths for which Valkenburg is famous. The station was put into operation nearly 170 years ago, on October 23, 1853, as a stop on the first international rail link between Maastricht and Aachen. Fully restored in 2005, the station has continued to play an important infrastructural role for the town of Valkenburg aan de Geul, which attracts tourists from all over the Netherlands and beyond.
Valkenburg aan de Geul Station is the third building in the province of Limburg that KLM has added to its collection of Delftware miniatures. Presented in 2001, Miniature No. 82 is a replica of Huys op de Jeker located at No. 5 Bonnefantenstraat in Maastricht, while No. 84, presented in 2003, is a replica of De Oude Munt Tavern located at No. 7 Muntpromenade in Weert .
What are these little houses
Since the 1950s, KLM has been giving its World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights Delftware miniature houses filled with Bols Jenever. These replicas of classic Dutch houses with a special history are valuable collector's items. Since 1994, the "civic" numbers have kept pace with the age of KLM, with a new miniature added to the collection each year to celebrate KLM's anniversary on October 7.
In case of "duplicates," you can always go to the Crowne Lounge 52 in Amsterdam and exchange it for a different piece, but there is a real resale market among enthusiasts and an app that allows you to keep track of your collection and find out the history of different pieces.
When the cottages are given away
My collection of KLM cottages
To have this "gift" you have to fly business class on the long haul with KLM, a few minutes before landing, an attendant will pass along the cabin with a trolley or tray from which he will draw several little houses, and passengers can check the numbers and choose the model they like best (or the one that is missing). There is not necessarily 104 or 3, each flight has a different stock of cottages precisely so that all enthusiasts could complete the collection.
