Vintage Miniaturized Fire Mark - Steam Engine<br>   <font size=2pt>United Firemen's Insurance Company of Philadelphia</font>
Vintage Miniaturized Fire Mark - Steam Engine

Vintage Miniaturized Fire Mark - Steam Engine
   United Firemen's Insurance Company of Philadelphia

Your Price: $35.00
Part Number: FireMarkVintageUFCart
Availability: In Stock 1
* Made in USA
* Only One (1)
This hard to find a miniature fire mark was made of cast iron in the USA. It was hand painted. It is a collectors miniature version of the original mark issued by United Firemen's Insurance Company of Philadelphia.

This insurance company was incorporated in 1860 by a group of 28 fire companies that were not associated with the Fire Association of Philadelphia. 

Beginning back in the mid 18th century, some American insurance companies issued such a fire mark for the insured to display on the front of their building, be it a house or a business. This proof of insurance not only indicated that policyholder was insured against loss by fire. It also served as a sort of advertisement for the insurance companies. Additionally, they found it likely to deter arson.

The original marks were much larger than this so that they could be easily seen from the street. Each insurance company was represented by a distinct symbol.

This one being an image of an early steam engine - associating the company with the latest, most innovative fire-fighting apparatus. The letters U and F represent the United Firemen's Insurance company. The image and the company's abbreviation - U F - easily distinguished itself from the Fire Association of Philadelphia.

The image is raised and hand painted in a primitive fashion against a flat black back.

Our miniature is vintage and very hard to find. It, too, is made of cast iron, making it quite substantial and heavy (around 5 ounces). It is lightly backed with felt and features small holes on each side for mounting as you please. (Some of the felt has been worn off over time - as you can see in the photo.

It's depth is a little over 1/4 inch, allowing the raised image to resemble the original. 

Measurements
  • Height: 2-1/2 inches
  • Width: 3-1/2 inches 
  • Depth: 1/4 inch
  • Weight: 5 ounces

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