Temple Bar London Souvenir Building Cast Iron Coin Bank
$ 132.0
Description
The Temple Bar is located in London, England. A "bar" is an archaic term for "gate". The version depicted by this souvenir building was the second version of the structure, rebuilt 1669-1672 designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The original structure burned in a fire. The Temple Bar gateway is made of Portland stone. This was the principal ceremonial entrance to the city of London from the city of Westminster. On the east side are the statues of Queen Elizabeth and King James II. During the 18th century the heads of convicted traitors were frequently mounted on pikes and exhibited on the roof. In 1878, the Temple Bar was dismantled, stored, re-erected in a new location and then dismantled again until eventually in 2004 it was rebuilt and is now located as an entrance to the Paternoster Square redevelopment immediately north of St Paul's Cathedral. A memorial statue is location at the original site. This cast iron coin bank has a dulled Jappened finish. The dimensions are 4-3/16" w x 2-1/2" d x 4" h. This piece dates to ca. 1878-1910. Collectors' guides are fairly consistent in assigning a "D" rarity rating to these banks. However, I'd probably rate them an increment rarer with an "E" rating since I've seen only about 6 of these show up in auctions in the past 26 years. T heir auction & catalog valuations run from $375-$1,500. To kick things off, I'm starting this auction just below the bottom of the range with no reserve. This item will be insured for full value, shipped with tracking and signature confirmation. From a smoke-free home. Post cards and other images of the actual building are not included in this lot.
