Statue of Liberty sculpture

[Bronze24]

Hello I'm new here, I don't go out Metal detecting but found a buffalo nickel, wheat pennies and an old silver ring in my backyard once when i had one.

I've been looking on this forum for a while now but i decided to join because I found an old statue of liberty sculpture at a thrift store today, It has a red marble base and believe it to be made out of bronze or brass but the hand and torch are broken off.

But what do you guys think? did i find something valuable?

Update; dated 17 june 1887 and translated dédié Meaning dedicated in french and I can't make out the word in the middle, but Thomas i don't know who that could be. The hexagon base reminds me of one of the concepts of the statue.

 

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[tamrock]

I'm not sure of the value of it, but it does look old and nicely made. I'm always happy when I find old antiques in thrift stores, as they're generally priced so much less than what an antique dealer would be asking for things like what you have.

 

[JimDon]

Probably a presentation piece. The dedication was in October 1886 so not from then. I suspect they were sold at the statue and engraved on site as a high end tourist piece. Unfortunately the broken hand greatly diminishes its value.

 

[A2coins]

Welcome to tnet good start on your treasure hunting journey learn as much as you can thrift stores have riches hidden in them. Tommy

 

[Bronze24]

Thanks for your opinions and I'm glad too be a member of the forums.

 

[RustyGold]

Welcome to TreasureNet from Southern California. Very cool find!

 

[Red-Coat]

I’m surprised this hasn’t generated more speculative discussion.

The “middle word” is simply the French “à”, so it reads “Dédié à Mr Thomas” (Dedicated to Mr Thomas). The spirit of wording suggests he was being thanked, recognised or remembered for something. It’s not really the kind of phraseology that would be appropriate for someone doing nothing more than visiting… even as a dignitary.

The other thing is that the dedication is in French, but refers to a non-French person (presumably American), which prompts the question why was someone French acknowledging someone in America in this way? [A French speaker referring to a Frenchman with the surname Thomas would have written it with the French abbreviation for “Monsieur” as “M. Thomas”, not “Mr. Thomas”. Occasionally you will see French use of “Mr” when preceding a title… so if there was a French mayor called Thomas he might be referred to as Mr. le Maire Thomas” (example only)… but not otherwise when only using the surname].

Looking closely at the ‘engraving’, I would suggest that it was not engraved on the finished piece but was part of the casting. That is, engraved on the master from which the mould was made and therefore made specially. It’s not clear if the base (the metal base, not the marble plinth) and the statue were cast as a single piece but, even if they weren’t, the base would have to have been specially made and brazed on afterwards.

We then come to the date. I think it would be worth exploring if it has some significance. Although it has no connection to the dedication of the erected statue, it may have something to do with the arrival of its unassembled parts in America. Although most sources give this as 19th June 1885, that’s when it arrived at Bedloe’s Island (now Liberty Island) with full pomp and circumstance aboard a French Navy ship. The French frigate L’Isere (sometimes incorrectly referenced as ‘Insere’) decommissioned as an unarmed merchantman sailed in on June 16th, could not cross the NY harbour bar until the next day because of a gale and then anchored in Gravesend Bay, Brooklyn on 17th June, awaiting confirmation that the welcoming ceremony arrangements were in place. So, the actual arrival was 17th June and that seems to be a bit of a coincidence… although 1887 would be the two year anniversary of that, which weakens a possible connection).

It may be nothing more than coincidence, but if I was looking for a connection between a Mr Thomas and a reason for some recognition of him by a Frenchman that relates to 17th June, I would be looking at the activities of L’Izère (or the French frigate La Flore that was part of the escort for the final leg) on that day in Brooklyn in 1885.

 

[Robot]

When One Puts The Horse Before The Cart!

I’m surprised this hasn’t generated more speculative discussion.

The “middle word” is simply the French “à”, so it reads “Dédié à Mr Thomas” (Dedicated to Mr Thomas). The spirit of wording suggests he was being thanked, recognised or remembered for something. It’s not really the kind of phraseology that would be appropriate for someone doing nothing more than visiting… even as a dignitary.

The other thing is that the dedication is in French, but refers to a non-French person (presumably American), which prompts the question why was someone French acknowledging someone in America in this way? [A French speaker referring to a Frenchman with the surname Thomas would have written it with the French abbreviation for “Monsieur” as “M. Thomas”, not “Mr. Thomas”. Occasionally you will see French use of “Mr” when preceding a title… so if there was a French mayor called Thomas he might be referred to as Mr. le Maire Thomas” (example only)… but not otherwise when only using the surname].

Looking closely at the ‘engraving’, I would suggest that it was not engraved on the finished piece but was part of the casting. That is, engraved on the master from which the mould was made and therefore made specially. It’s not clear if the base (the metal base, not the marble plinth) and the statue were cast as a single piece but, even if they weren’t, the base would have to have been specially made and brazed on afterwards.

We then come to the date. I think it would be worth exploring if it has some significance. Although it has no connection to the dedication of the erected statue, it may have something to do with the arrival of its unassembled parts in America. Although most sources give this as 19th June 1885, that’s when it arrived at Bedloe’s Island (now Liberty Island) with full pomp and circumstance aboard a French Navy ship. The French frigate L’Isere (sometimes incorrectly referenced as ‘Insere’) decommissioned as an unarmed merchantman sailed in on June 16th, could not cross the NY harbour bar until the next day because of a gale and then anchored in Gravesend Bay, Brooklyn on 17th June, awaiting confirmation that the welcoming ceremony arrangements were in place. So, the actual arrival was 17th June and that seems to be a bit of a coincidence… although 1887 would be the two year anniversary of that, which weakens a possible connection).

It may be nothing more than coincidence, but if I was looking for a connection between a Mr Thomas and a reason for some recognition of him by a Frenchman that relates to 17th June, I would be looking at the activities of L’Izère (or the French frigate La Flore that was part of the escort for the final leg) on that day in Brooklyn in 1885.

Very Well Done...Red-Coat!

My speculation has to do with the Base on this Model.

All the souvenirs that I have seen have the Base as the final construction.



This molding appears to have been created prior to the completion of the statue.

 

[Red-Coat]

This molding appears to have been created prior to the completion of the statue.

Agreed, or rather I would say before its fully complete assembly in America. The statue itself was actually completed and fully assembled in France before being dismantled for shipping to America in 1885. Various individual parts of it had been on exhibition tours in France and other parts of the world (including New York and Philadelphia) to help raise funds and were then brought back to France for assembly and a formal gifting ceremony to US Ambassador Morton in Paris on 4th July 1884. Here's the final thing on display in Paris in 1884, at which time it didn't have the same pedestal that was planned for it on Bedloe's Island. It had been agreed that the US government would provide and finance the base.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Welcome to the forum and nice find!