Looking Beyond the Block: Independence Hall Collectibles
As the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches, relics from the United States Centennial still wows bidders.
While the festivities may have lasted for all of 1876, one event stands out not just as a celebration of U.S. history, but also of the nation’s place on the world stage: the Centennial Exhibition. Formally named the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufacturers, and Products of the Soil and Mine, the exhibition was held on May 10 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was the first World’s Fair in the United States.
The many visitors to the exposition (over 10,000,000, when it ended on November 10) enjoyed the sights of several buildings constructed specifically for it, including the first Women’s Pavilion at a World’s Fair. But there was one popular structure at the Fair in Philadelphia that had been there much longer; in fact, it is considered the birthplace of the United States. This building is, of course, Independence Hall.
Independence Hall, originally constructed in 1732 as the Pennsylvania State House, is where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed. Its significance to United States history and to the city of Philadelphia made it a feature of the exhibition, not just because of the new Centennial Bell on display alongside the famous Liberty Bell. From a collector’s standpoint, this means that Independence Hall appears on many souvenirs from the Centennial Exhibition and after.
Image courtesy of RSL Auction House.
A Centennial Exhibition souvenir still sought by collectors today is the Independence Hall cast iron bank made by Enterprise Mfg., a Philadelphia company. (If you collect antique cast iron kitchen supplies, especially coffee mills, you may recognize the name.) They made several sizes and models, with the rarest being a large Deluxe 3-in-1 bank painted in multicolor—one of these 15-inch-long, 8-inch-tall banks sold for an astounding $16,575* at RSL Auction Company. Enterprise also made a smaller Deluxe bank measuring 11 inches long and 6 1/2 inches tall, as well as a model with just the central tower. At the same RSL Auction sale, a small 3-in-1 Deluxe bank sold for $4,143.75, and a tower bank, a more common model, sold for $1,083.75.
Another Philadelphia business, the silk manufacturer William H. Horstmann & Sons, produced a woven silk souvenir for the Centennial featuring a detailed image of Independence Hall. One of these silks, framed and matted, sold for $312 at Early American History Auctions.
Independence Hall souvenirs go beyond the Centennial. When the building was restored in 1897, scraps of wood were saved and collected as relics with an almost religious fervor. One of these wood fragments, said to come from “a beam which supported the floor in the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed,” sold at John McInnis Auctioneers for $558 in April 2025.
And of course, the Bicentennial in 1976 renewed the enthusiasm for symbols of early American history. The Enoch Wedgwood Company in England produced Liberty Blue, a set of ironstone dishes with blue transfer-printed colonial American scenes. These can be bargains today: a dish depicting Independence Hall sold for $4 at The Benefit Shop Foundation.
*All prices include Buyer’s Premium.
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