There are probably thousands of these little bells around. They are mostly replicas of bells made long ago. Many have Latin words and religious symbols embossed on them. They can be used on counters or in the home to attract attention. This little lot sit on an old Emerson radio that came back on one of the great liners to England in 1946 from New York. I often listen to commentary from Fratton Park on it on Saturday afternoons. Any other Pompey fans out there?
6 comments:
Hi Fido,
I am quite fond of these little bells and would love to know more about their history. do you know of any publications related to them? Many thanks, Pola Guna
Dear Fido, I recently purchased a small bell at a thrift store in Oxford, Alabama, USA that appears to be an exact replica of the one you show in this picture, front row, far left. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about them. The ringer has the letters "brage" and "made in England". it appears to have 1 or 2 more letters at the beginning of "brage", but I can't make them out. Thanks, David
These are known as "Evangelist" bells with the four evangelists depicted in the lettering. They were made in large numbers with many differences in size, shape and amount of carving.
Examples of these bells can be found in "Collectible Bells" by Donna S Baker.
I have about 70 bells my 93 yo grandmother gave to me. There are a # of brass bells - some like this that were originally on a rope, some graduated on a rope, feather double bell, figures (not the valuable ones) and a handbell and gong bell with a little tarnish. I am trying to decide how to best display them for the maximum impact. They are a little harder than the rest. ~Page
That's a lot of bells! Displaying is such an important part of enjoying a collection. Good luck!
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