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We are all familiar with the statue of liberty, Abe Lincoln seated in the Lincoln memorial and the large standing Thomas Jefferson in his memorial, but have you ever noticed the other sometime quirky figural human souvenir statues of both famous and fictional people? One miniature metal replica depicts the Alaska Pioneer Statue in Sitka, Alaska. Standing 4.5" tall, the base has written “ALASKA PIONEER” on one edge. Sitting outside the Cass Gilbert-designed Essex County Courthouse Building in Newark, New Jersey, is a statue of President Abraham Lincoln seated on a bench. The statue was recreated by Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore. This miniature replica stands (or sits) 4.5" tall with a 3.75 by 2.5" base. It’s made of cast iron with brass/gold finish. Built in 1952, the Wendover Will neon sign towers above the Stateline Casino in Wendover, Nevada. Designed by Pat Denner; the same person who made the famous 'Vegas Vic' Las Vegas sign. Towering 63 feet tall, Wendover Will is in the Guinness of World Records
as the 'World's largest mechanical cowboy.’ The Wendover Will souvenir statue stands about 5 inches tall. This 1950's souvenir is unusual and sold recently for $39. A well-made 5.25" tall miniature metal replica of the legendary Colossus of Rhodes statue in Greece has a copper finish. The base of this 1960’s-era reads Metamme Greece. The real Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek god Helios, erected on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 BC. It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Before its destruction, the Colossus of Rhodes stood over 30 meters (107 ft) high, making it one of the tallest statues of the ancient world. Near the Pioneer Woman museum in Ponca City Oklahoma, stands a monument to pioneering women of the west. The heroic bronze statue of a young, sun bonneted pioneer mother, leading her son by the hand, striding confidently, head held high—a woman of sturdy beauty and dignity, whose eyes are fixed on the far southwestern horizon. Sculptor Bryant Baker designed the real statue in 1929 which stands17 feet tall and weighs 6 tons. A miniature metal figurine of the statue is 4.5" tall and weighs a helluva lot less. Cast in pot metal with a golden finish, the replica’s base reads “Pioneer Woman” “Ponca City” and “Oklahoma.” There are many statues of Abe Lincoln around the U.S. including a seated Abe Lincoln statue in front of the Essex County Courthouse in New Jersey. A gold-colored pot metal replica was made and comes up on eBay occasionally. Hannibal, Missouri’s two most famous fictional residents are immortalized in a bronze statue. In 1926, the life-size monument to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn walking shoulder to shoulder was unveiled. A pot metal souvenir replica of the statue stands about 3½" tall. The miniature’s base has their names and on the back it says Hannibal, Mo. Standing in Veterans Memorial Square along Veterans Memorial Boulevard’s median in Metairie, New Orleans, is a 14 ft. bronze statue to Sheriff Harry Lee. A bronze-colored miniature statue was created as an exact replica, right up to the cowboy hat that he is holding in his right hand. This souvenir is approximately 6 ¾ inches tall and the inscription on the front of the statue, which is imprinted on a removable piece of clear heavy plastic, reads “In Memoriam Sheriff Harry Lee 1932-2007.” Do collect souvenir statues along with your building replica collection? Tell us about it via the comments link below.
Some people wear their heart on the sleeve. Others carry a chip on their shoulder. As building 
collectors, we can now wear a building on our finger. Paris artist Philippe Tournaire decided to combine architecture and jewelry to create the “Dream House Rings.” The rings are faithful reproductions of actual architecture. Building Collector reader Luis A. of Cozumel Mexico sent me this tip. The rings are miniatures of actual buildings rendered in 18-karat gold and platinum rings with gemstones. Ring buildings include replica of Castle of Maison Lafitte, Citadelle House, Palace Arabe, Hotel Vizcaya, Chinesee Pagoda, Villa Florence. The brand which has a boutique in Paris is bringing its creations to the U.S. For anyone interested, Tournaire will make custom versions of private homes for clients.
As we celebrate our nation’s independence this weekend, I thought I’d explore a souvenir of a famous building steeped in history. Many different souvenir building versions of Independence Hall have been created through the years. In the past, I wrote about a plaster WPA replica of Independence Hall. Large cast iron coin banks in the shape of Independence Hall were made for two different anniversaries of the building. The first one was done in 1876 for the centennial. Then they were remade for the Bicentennial in 1976. Another large early version is a cast iron coin bank is usually painted gold with red tips. It measures 7 inches tall, 11 inches long and weighs 2.5 lbs. Printed on it is “pat Oct 19, 1879.” Two of these recently sold on ebay, one for & 850 and the other for $760. A replica coin bank of just the metal bell tower were also created. A red and white plastic 
versions were made with a slot in the roof and measure 5 1/4" high by 5" by 3 1/2". There have also been glass versions, salt & pepper shakers replicas and a pot metal version from the 1960’s are also found from time to time. Pencil sharpeners of Independence Hall are still readily available. The real Independence Hall is a U.S. national landmark located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets. Known primarily as the location where the Declaration of Independence was debated and adopted, the building was completed in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House for the Province of Pennsylvania. It became the principal meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783. The United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were both signed at Independence Hall. The building is now part of the larger Independence National Historical Park and listed as a World Heritage Site.Independence Hall is a red brick building, built between 1732 and 1753, designed in the Georgian style by Edmund Woolley and Andrew Hamilton, and built by Woolley. Its highest point is 135 feet (41 meters) above the ground. Its construction was commissioned by the Pennsylvania colonial legislature and it was initially inhabited by the colonial government of Pennsylvania as their State House. Two smaller buildings adjoin Independence Hall: Old City Hall to the east, and Congress Hall to the west. These three buildings are together on a city block known as Independence Square, along with Philosophical Hall, the original home of the American Philosophical Society. Independence Hall is pictured on the back of the U.S. $100 bill, as well as the bicentennial Kennedy half dollar. The Assembly Room is pictured on the reverse of the U.S. two dollar bill, from the original painting by John Trumbull entitled Declaration of Independence. Did You Know that From 1790 to 1800 Philadelphia was the Capital of the United States? During that time, city, county and state government offices were all on the same block of Chestnut Street. 
The first-ever Souvenir Building Collectors Society publicity contest winners were announced by President Darron C. during the closing dinner of this year’s SBCS convention in Pasadena. I was honored with first place for a video I produced about my collection. I tried to make it visually interesting, informative and appealing to both current and potential building collectors. You can view the video above. Second place was won by Jay M. for a front page story about his souvenir building collection in the Evansville Courier & Press newspaper. Mike M. was honored with third place for an interview of him by Ephemera. Honorable Mention went to Todd Gipstein. The goal of the contest was to create a greater public awareness about SBCS, while also showcasing members’ collections. Entries could take the form of any media format including, but is not limited to, video, newspaper and magazine features, television presentations or collection displays at a local library, historical society, museum or other public arena. SBCS officers encouraged the memb
ership to be creative and hoped the contest would also generate increased membership numbers. The contest was open to all members in good standing. SBCS President Darron C. wrote, “Our only video entry turned out to be our first place prize because all the judges believed the video hit the core of what SBCS is. As one judge commented, "It would be great if we can get this video to go viral on Youtube". As for the second place prize which was the article featuring Jay Myers' collection, I couldn't have been more proud to learn that one of our members made the front page of their newspaper which has a weekend circulation of 87,000. The article was also posted on-line and got amazing comments like, "Thanks for sharing your unique collection!! I wish I'd thought of getting things like that on all of my travels." Darron contiues, “I was so pleased that the caliber and quality of the entries was way beyond what I imagined. I just hope it inspires members and nonmembers to show off their amazing collections, whether big or small, to the public and raise the awareness of this wonderful, often frustrating, passion.” First Prize was a convention package and one year free membership to SBCS. Second Prize was one Souvenir Building by InfocusTech. Third Prize was a one year free membership to SBCS. Judging was based on creativity, potential media circulation or website visits. A panel of SBCS officers judged entries. Congratulations to all the winners! Do you have feedback about the contest or the winners? Let us know via the comments link below. 
Building Collector Scott D. researched the following information about souvenir replicas from historic Jamestown Virginia.
“The Virginia Company landed and explored the area that became the Jamestown colony on May 14, 1607. Finding it was a secure place where Spanish Ships could not fire point blank at the Fort. Pretty much from the beginning there was fighting with the Algonquian 
natives. This on and off again fighting lead the colonist to build a wooden palisade. The walls formed a triangle around a storehouse, church, and a number of houses. A souvenir version of this fort was made by Baston in 1957 for the tercentenary celebration in 1957. It is a ceramic piece and is extremely hard to find today. At this time, there are no other versions of the Jamestown fort in miniature known. Another building that Baston made was of the Jamestown church. It was made for the tercentenary celebration as well and is part of a set of four figures Baston created for the celebration. Beside the Baston souvenir versions of the Jamestown Church, there have been a number of others over the years. Some of the earliest are from the Jamestown Exposition which was held from April 26 – December 1, 1907 to commemorate the 300th 
anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. One such souvenir is a clay pipe in the form of the Jamestown church tower ruin (The church was later reconstructed in1906 by the National Society, Colonial Dames of America) On the outside of the pipe are the words: “Jamestown 1906.” The pipe comes with a hard straw mouth piece that attaches to the bottom of the tower. I’ve always said it’s one of the few souvenirs buildings you could smoke. They are much easier to find than any other version of the Church ruin. I made a recent find of heavy lead bookends in the shape of the church tower. No maker given and I assume they were made for the 1906 Exposition as well. Nice detail for a very heavy piece. The last version is a ceramic vase of the tower. Made in Japan, it looks to have been made before WWII when ceramics from Japan were dirt cheap to make. It’s red ceramic with painted green areas where the leaves were over taking the ruined tower. It is very fragile and the ceramic almost seems paper thin. This frailty leads me to believe there are not too many of these still in existence. Since it was the structured leadership of Captain John Smith that kept the colony from dissolving, there is a monument to the Captain which was erected in 1909. A 4” tall copper clad souvenir version of monument was made in the 1950’s-1960. Related to Captain Smith is the Pocahontas 
monument. She is said to have saved the Captain from being killed by her father Powhatan the chief of the Algonquians. This monument was erected in 1922 and was created by William Ordway Partridge. The monument sits on a stone and is just a real statue. In another souvenir version, Pocahontas stands on a pedestal and looks to be based on the monument to her in England. (check out an earier post on that statue here) With research, I feel even though the souvenir was sold in Jamestown it is based on the English monument with the base and not the one in Jamestown. The souvenir is from the same time period as the Captain John Smith monument and is clad in copper as well. With the 400th anniversary celebration of Jamestown’s founding behind us, there are currently no newer souvenir monuments or buildings from Jamestown. 400 years seemed like a fitting occasion to make a souvenir building to me, but alas the T-shirts and coffee cups won yet again. “– Scott D.
Summer is here. Time for vacations at the beach. Sun, sand and sandcastle building. But why construct a castle when you can build a skyscraper, skyline or cityscape? I found some great photos of architecturally-inspired sand sculptures you might enjoy seeing. If you get to the beach this summer and construct a sand building yourself, send me a photo and I’ll publish it! 
We are all familiar with the statue of liberty, Abe Lincoln seated in the Lincoln memorial and the large standing Thomas Jefferson in his memorial, but have you ever noticed the other sometime quirky figural human souvenir statues of both famous and fictional people? One miniature metal replica depicts the Alaska Pioneer Statue in Sitka, Alaska. Standing 4.5" tall, the base has written “ALASKA PIONEER” on one edge. Sitting outside the Cass Gilbert-designed Essex County Courthouse Building in Newark, New Jersey, is a statue of President Abraham Lincoln seated on a bench. The statue was recreated by Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore. This miniature replica stands (or sits) 4.5" tall with a 3.75 by 2.5" base. It’s made of cast iron with brass/gold finish. Built in 1952, the Wendover Will neon sign towers above the Stateline Casino in Wendover, Nevada. Designed by Pat Denner; the same person who made the famous 'Vegas Vic' Las Vegas sign. Towering 63 feet tall, Wendover Will is in the Guinness of World Records
as the 'World's largest mechanical cowboy.’ The Wendover Will souvenir statue stands about 5 inches tall. This 1950's souvenir is unusual and sold recently for $39. A well-made 5.25" tall miniature metal replica of the legendary Colossus of Rhodes statue in Greece has a copper finish. The base of this 1960’s-era reads Metamme Greece. The real Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek god Helios, erected on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 BC. It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Before its destruction, the Colossus of Rhodes stood over 30 meters (107 ft) high, making it one of the tallest statues of the ancient world. Near the Pioneer Woman museum in Ponca City Oklahoma, stands a monument to pioneering women of the west. The heroic bronze statue of a young, sun bonneted pioneer mother, leading her son by the hand, striding confidently, head held high—a woman of sturdy beauty and dignity, whose eyes are fixed on the far southwestern horizon. Sculptor Bryant Baker designed the real statue in 1929 which stands17 feet tall and weighs 6 tons. A miniature metal figurine of the statue is 4.5" tall and weighs a helluva lot less. Cast in pot metal with a golden finish, the replica’s base reads “Pioneer Woman” “Ponca City” and “Oklahoma.” There are many statues of Abe Lincoln around the U.S. including a seated Abe Lincoln statue in front of the Essex County Courthouse in New Jersey. A gold-colored pot metal replica was made and comes up on eBay occasionally. Hannibal, Missouri’s two most famous fictional residents are immortalized in a bronze statue. In 1926, the life-size monument to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn walking shoulder to shoulder was unveiled. A pot metal souvenir replica of the statue stands about 3½" tall. The miniature’s base has their names and on the back it says Hannibal, Mo. Standing in Veterans Memorial Square along Veterans Memorial Boulevard’s median in Metairie, New Orleans, is a 14 ft. bronze statue to Sheriff Harry Lee. A bronze-colored miniature statue was created as an exact replica, right up to the cowboy hat that he is holding in his right hand. This souvenir is approximately 6 ¾ inches tall and the inscription on the front of the statue, which is imprinted on a removable piece of clear heavy plastic, reads “In Memoriam Sheriff Harry Lee 1932-2007.” Do collect souvenir statues along with your building replica collection? Tell us about it via the comments link below.
