** Tins of Taste Museum ** within NationalBreadMuseum.org
GERMANY - A to G Lebkuchen Companies w/Tins
(Last revised June 18, 2026)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Tins of Taste Collection has at least one tin with an identifying name on it, for each of the following Lebkuchen companies (A - G).
Tins for the companies in bold & underlined are on their own website page.
Tins for the companies in italicized green bold are on this page -- 13 at this time.
Companies listed with ^^ before their name are still in business.
There is no tin (*#) (yet) for 12 additional A - G Lebkuchen companies which are listed in the main Germany Index.
NOTE: If any information should be corrected, or if you have additional historical documents & info., etc., helping me would be greatly appreciated. This is a personal interest venture for me, to record for historical preservation for our future generations' benefit. PLEASE send info to breadmuseum@aol.com. Thanks!
A - D
Adam Kraft
Alois Buchner Straubing
Anker-Lebkuchen - Nurnberg (connected with F. Ad. Richter & Cie)
ARKO (Out of alphabetical order, but I needed APPEL & August to be together!)
APPEL & VON SAZENHOFEN, NURNBERG-N.
August Häusler (& Oskar Wagner)
^^Bahlsen; F. July 1889; 1891 made 1st "Leibniz" biscuit" (cookie); Some "biscuit tins" are on https://www.bahlsen.com/about-us/
They have had a couple "Lebkuchen" tins, also. Location: Hannover
Banner of Labor - An East German Socialist Workers Award, 1954-1988
Barde-Lebkuchen C. Bardeleben Lebkuchen-Fabrik; F. 1851
^^BärenSchmidt; F. 1863; Location: Mainbernheim, NW of Nurnberg
Bären-LK Gebr. Schmidt Mannbernheim
and Gebrüder Schmidt were the same company.
DAUSCHER's * FRÄN * KISCHE * LEBKUCHEN; F. 1876
DELIKATESS-LEBKUCHEN XOX*#
^^Diakoneo Bakery*#
^^Düll https://www.lebkuchen-nuernberg.com/
^^Eckstein; F. 1955 https://www.lebkuchen-eckstein.de/
E - G
F. Ad. Richter & Cie-Lebkuchen Nurnberger - maybe 1884-1913
Ferd. Stemler*#
Ferdinand Wolff GmbH & Co. KG; F. 1839
Feurich-Keks*#
^^Feyler, Wilhelm in Coburg; F. 1892
^^Frank Lebkuchen GmbH*#; https://www.frank-lebkuchen.de/
Franz Leonhardt*#
^^Fraunholz (1911) & Gebr. Fraunholz
Fritz Weghorn Schwabach*#
G. Cyliax BERLIN*#
Gebr. Dauscher - Nuremberg
Gebr. Koppe*#
Gebrüder Schmidt (This company's tin is under "B" ~ Bären Schmidt.)
^^Georg Goess - first mentioned in 1610; (today under Lebkuchen-Schmidt management) There's still a website, but don't know if there's been a recent Lebkuchen tin.
Gottfried Tobias Thomas*#
Grundig Work*#
Currently, tins for 14 German Lebkuchen companies from the above list, that don't have their own page, are on this page as of 6-8-2026.
This website is a historical preservation work in progress for the love of German Lebkuchen.
A
Alois Buchner Straubing
This is a very small tin of 2.75" round x 2.75" tall. I got it off of German eBay, 2025, & the only reason I paid 15€+6€ = $23.02 with additional S&H to the U.S., is the goal to have at least one tin from each company I've discovered. (TTM #4431) Click to zoom tins below.
ARKO
This company might have gone out of business. (2025 - eBay.de 1€+4.50€ = $5.94) (4.38"x4.75") (TTM #4455)
Address had been in Wahlstedt, Germany. Click on the row of photos to zoom. (P.S. I know ARKO is out of sync alphabetically with the following, APPEL, but that one needs to be connected with Oscar Wagner.)
APPEL & VON SAZENHOFEN, NURNBERG
This tin has no identification except the APPEL-etc. above.
(4.5" x 5") (2024 - eBay in U.S. $20.26 total) (TTM #4221)
Click on the row below to zoom.
This tin has no identification except the APPEL-etc. above.
(2025 - ebay.de - 1€+7.49€=$9.69) (4.18"x4.75") (TTM #4413)
I need to have the "APPEL" tin connected to Oskar Wagner, & "August Hausler" is also connected in this grouping somehow. Unless a Lebkuchen historian, or some information of these old companies gets connected to me, there's a lot of mystery as to what happened with these companies in the "days gone by."
August Hausler (& Oskar Wagner)
This tin has both Aug. Hausler's & Oskar Wagner's names on it, along with the initials, JNH. I don't know the connection, but the next tin is a third name in the mix!!! I don't know the history among them.
(2025 - eBay.de 2.50€ + 8€ = $11.49) (4.18"x7.38") (TTM #4419)
Click on the tins below to zoom.
The names on the bottom edge of the cover are the men.
Oskar Wagner
What the association was among these 3, I don't know! The tin on the left has an "Owa" on it. The photo on the top right has Oskar Wagner's name on it. (There's no Aug. Hausler name on this tin.) But on the bottom right photo, the "APPEL & VON SAZENHOFEN" name is on this tin! Who these 3 were, as Lebkuchen companies, a designer/tin manufacturer, or through time one bought out the other, etc., I don't know. It will be interesting if I get the history info some day.
(1€ + 5€ = $6.60 eBay.de in 2020) (4.25" x 4.75") (TTM #4328). Click on the row of tins to zoom.
B
On Wikipedia it says the TET sign began in 1904, & is from an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic (a snake & 3 dots) meaning "everlasting."
In 1891, the company was formed & created its first "butter biscuit." On their USA-English website, https://www.bahlsen.com/en-us/about-us/, it shows their first Limited Edition tin in 1914, along with a series of others (although a few look like paper packaging).
https://www.thebahlsenfamily.com/int/company/about-us/history/
It seems as if Lebkuchen is a very small part of their baking business. Today, on their website, it's sold in packets of about 7 rounds in a box container covered in a see-through cellophane wrapper, or various other shapes in other bags or wrappers.
This tin is one of very few they've ever made for Lebkuchen.
On the bottom of this tin it says H. BAHLSENS, KEKSFABRIK KG,
9(?) HANNOVER 77
The ladies on bicycles look like they're in the 1920s-'30s style of dress -- very demure, legs covered to the ankles, & straw hats. This tin says "cakes," so maybe small pastry-type petit fours??? - But read on . . .
In 1911, the English word "cakes" was changed to "keks." In 1952, Bahlsens starts to export to the United States. Then in 1966, they take over the "cake business" by buying another bakery. Then in 1980, they begin production in the U. S. in North Carolina. So trying to date this tin will be an inquiry for another day!
The Banner of Labor (Banner der Arbeit) was one of the most prestigious state orders (i.e. reward) issued by the German Democratic Republic (GDR / East Germany) to recognize outstanding long-term contributions to the socialist national economy. Established on August 4, 1954, the decoration (i.e. ribbon & medal) was officially awarded until May 1, 1989, just months before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Purpose was to reward individuals, work collectives, companies, and state institutions for excellent, long-standing actions that stabilized and strengthened the GDR. (Wikipedia)
My note: Since there were only 1-to-several individuals who were awarded the medal each year, but their recognition was a result of ALL the workers in that organization (collectives, companies, & institutions), I'm figuring ALL the workers also received an "award," which was the following cardboard container of Lebkuchen! They are 3.5 rd. x 3.25 high. Both via eBay.de: Green: $9.08 + $4.30, no cover; 2025 (#4459 TTM); Blue: stamped 1968; $? in 1920 (#4320 TTM)
Bären Schmidt (Mainbernheim)
! ! ! Eliminating Confusion ! ! !
This company (c. 1863) applied 3 different names to its tins through the years, but they were all identified with the same company symbol of the bear (Bären) carrying a banner with the "Bären Schmidt name.
The name "Gebrüder" means "brothers."
Mainbernheim is the German town.
(https://www.baeren-schmidt.de) This company was founded by Johann Friedrich Schmidt from Nuremberg in 1863, and has now been part of the Lambertz Group since January 2010. Today, on their website, the company continues with Herr Schmidt's original product. He was a gingerbread master and confectioner. His company was known for the large gingerbread hearts with sayings or people's names frosted on them.
Bären-LK Gebr. Schmidt Mainbernheim
Gebrüder Schmidt * Mainbernheim ~ seit 1863
F
Ferdinand Wolff GmbH & Co. KG - 1839
(in Lambertz group - 1994)
Some old tins have both Türmer & Ferdinand Wolff's names on them.
Fraunholz (c. 1911) & Gebr. Fraunholz
https://www.fraunholz-lebkuchen.de/Elisen-Lebkuchen:::1.html
No recorded info.
G
Gebr. Dauscher - Nuremberg
(The logo on the cover is an intertwined "GD" inside a 4-pointed star of sorts.) (Gebr. = brothers)
Above: 4.5" x 5"H; eBay.com $16.18, 2023; (#3998 TTM) ~ ~ ~ Below: 4.25"rd x 4.5"H; eBay.com $13; (#3999 TTM)
Today the Georg Goess Lebkuchen company is under Lebkuchen-Schmidt management.
The finest LEBKUCHEN is primarily a combination of many nuts, honey, & spices; then sometimes coated in a sugar or chocolate glaze. So delicious!
The "golden deer" - - in Germany it's known as a "stag" - - once a very well-known "brand image" (known as an icon today) in Germany for the Georg Goess company, still in their advertising.
Currently under the management of the Lebkuchen-Schmidt Company, there is a Georg Goess website with Lebkuchen products, but I don't know when the last tin was produced.