(NEW YORK CITY.) Statue of Liberty, American Committee Model. Bronzed statue, with the detachable pedestal nickel-silvered, together 11 3/4 inches tall, 3 inches square at the base; two spikes slightly bent on crown, otherwise minimal wear. [New York, 1885] These scale models were sold by the New York-based American Committee of the Statue of Liberty to raise funds for the erection of the statue. First offered in April 1885, a six-inch model sold for a dollar, while this twelve-inch version brought $5.00. The advertising circular (not included here) exhorted: "Every American citizen should feel proud to donate to the Pedestal Fund and own a model in token of their subscription . . . in this great work."
At the bottom of the detached statue are the words "American Committee Model," and at the top of the base are the faintly visible patent dates of 5 November 1878 and 18 February 1879. Inscribed onto Lady Liberty's tablet is the date "4th July 1776." Provoyeur & Hargrove, "Liberty: The French-American Statue in Art and History," pages 163-5, 296.