The grinder of this mill is a real mystery. The mill is one I have documented in my book, excellently illustrated by Robert Chipman, as I did not have this design in my collection. However, now that it is part of my collection, its provenance is somewhat in question. The plastic ring only says “Thailand”. It looks as if the rest of the mark has been sanded off. Is it a legitimate JHQ design? Was the mechanism stolen by Thai knockoff artists who created the mill after-hours at their Siamese sweatshop? Perhaps the stamping machine didn’t do a good job with this one and most of the letter didn’t make an impression? The mill looks real, and the design looks solid, so I don’t know. I don’t yet have it in my hand, so my opinion isn’t fully formed. Check out the photos taken by Robert – who clearly likes to give his mills an excellent view.




It’s a legitimate design. It is the first time I noticed any of the mills being knocked off, however.
I’m not sure why I was so convinced that it is a legitimate design. I have, however, seen it before. It was part of a set of 24 mills sold by Wright in 2003. See: http://www.wright-inc.com/auctions/view/RJN/F569/1/101
From that, I’m pretty sure that it’s legitimate.
Lot 133 from the 2005 auction is a different story. Architonic claims that 2 of the 24 peppermills weren’t produced by Dansk, but all of them are styles I’ve seen before. Read the verbiage on http://www.architonic.com/4106434 and compare it to http://www.wright-inc.com/auctions/view/BORT/F57U/2/133 — the Wright site doesn’t claim that two aren’t Dansk!