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Prison or Jail Door 19th Century Architectural Salvage [115653]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Prison or Jail Door 19th Century Architectural Salvage  [115653]
SOLD
600.00USD+ (150.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2023 Aug 26 @ 14:20UTC-7 : PDT/MST
SHIPPING & HANDLING: The customer is responsible for all shipping and packaging charges. We offer shipping service as a convenience to our buyers. Items are not shipped until the invoice and shipping charges are completely paid. Shipping costs will be calculated and billed separately after your items have been paid for. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: FedEx, UPS, USPS or DHL. Pick up is available from our Reno office, once you have received your invoice post auction
This solid iron door is the real deal. While it looks like it could have come from a medieval dungeon in a Gothic European Castle, it was most likely salvaged from a 19th Century Asylum, prison, or old western mining town jailhouse, such as the one found in Oatman, Arizona on an 1897 "Punishment" Jail Cell. We have little doubt that this door was originally used for its obvious purpose, but somehow it escaped to Hollywood in the early 1900s for use on the big screen. This door was actually seen in such film classics as "A Tale of Two Cities" (1935), starring Ronald Coleman and 1963's "Courtship of Eddie's Father" starring Glen Ford and a very young Ron Howard. Although, these are the only two confirmed films in which this door made an appearance, according to the provenance, the fact that the door was part of the MGM scene and prop inventory, means that it was probably used in many more productions over the years. Its original use was undoubtedly far more sinister and remains a mystery. We recommend researching early asylums and penitentiaries to uncover this ominous relic's lost history. Door measures 75"x 27" and weighs in at close to 300 pounds. This is the real thing. It comes with an antique padlock and key. BUYER MUST PICK UP IN RENO OR SELF ARRANGE FREIGHT. c. late 1870s