Money box used by Bishop Richard Allen

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Money box that belonged to the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church, Bishop Richard Allen. The rectangular box is flat on all sides with a flat bottom. It has a slightly domed top with a horizontal 1 7/8" slot in the center. The brass handle on the top is joined to the box by flat circular disks on either side of the slot. The top of the box is a hinged lid, attached in the back with two hinges. The box is constructed of wood and covered in dark, reddish-brown leather. There is a metal locking mechanism nailed to the front of the box, with a hinged piece that fits into a slot on the lock attached to the center front of the lid. Brass nails with circular heads are lined along the edges of the lid and front and back edges.

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