Centennial of the ‘Fire Association of Philadelphia’ 1817-1917

Wording on lid:

Insurance From Loss by Fire F A 1817

Wording on hexagon column:

1817 F

1917 A

Wording on base:

Fire Association of Philadelphia

Foundry mark on inside of lid suggests:

(From forum: https://www.banjohangout.org/archive/275595)

• Doehler – Was a maker of cast hood ornaments for 1920s-1930s automobiles. (see picture)
• Doler-Zink – Was a maker of Lionel train parts. (see picture)

Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number (see picture).

The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.

The Fire Association of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania issued this cast iron fire mark in 1869. The Fire Association’s fire mark consisted of a raised image of an early fire hydrant with hose attached, flanked by the letters F.A. in the center of an oval. This mark shows some faded green paint on the grass, and the policy number “47847” is painted in gold on the bottom.

The F.A. adopted a fireplug as their symbol to celebrate the contribution of Philadelphia’s innovative public water system to their mission of fighting fire. The Fire Association of Philadelphia was an insurance company founded in 1817 by a group of eleven volunteer engine companies and five volunteer hose companies. A percentage of the Fire Association’s insurance company’s profits were distributed to the volunteer companies. The F.A. fire mark was extremely popular, and an estimated 40,000 fire marks were issued during the company’s history. The Fire Association operated until 1958, when it merged with the Reliance Insurance Company of Philadelphia.

Missing Inkpot.

For another example of this inkwell, see: Fire Association of Philadelphia – The Society of Inkwell Collectors (SOIC)