BRASS CHARITY BOX Toplitz,Austro-Hungary, 1861

In form of house with pitched roof; coin slot with tapered walls above peak of roof; handle at rear; brass plaque affixed to front bears Hebrew inscription and date within Star of David; and “Charity saves from Death.” Interior chains beneath coin slot tinkle when coins are inserted. Door for emptying, with hasp and loop at rear. H: 190mm

Hebrew inscription: “This is a donation of the Holy Burial Society of Works of Kindness, Holy Congregation, Toplitz, to benefit the many.” For similar charity box, see Jewish Theological Seminary Library Catalogue, “From This World to the Next: Jewish Approaches to Illness, Death and the Afterlife” (1999), No. 19, p. 32.