ANTIQUE DETROIT UNION STATION DEPOT VICTORIAN TERRACOTTA FINIAL ARCHITECTURAL

Description

PLEASE EMAIL ME FIRST
:  To make sure this piece is still available because I do sell locally here in Detroit as well as the entire surrounding metropolitan suburban areas.  I also have out of town antique dealers who come to my storage for bulk lot purchases.
SALE
:  {
UPDATED
} - I have received countless emails and offers on this item since it was very first listed. It has received countless views and watchers during that time.  It was first listed at
00
or Best Offer, than I lowered it to
55
or Best Offer - To those who are serious and have an appreciation for such a grand artifact  I have now placed it on sale at
00
or Best Offer and to see this piece in person it most certainly is well worth the asking price. Thank you.
REGARDING OFFERS :
Greetings, I receive many email questions about what I would accept for my items. Just use the "
Best Offer
" option and make a "
Reasonably
Fair Offer
" and you just might be surprised at some of the offers I have accepted. Insulting offers will not be acknowledged. Remember If you don't try you'll never know what you could have had. Thank you.
NOTE SALES TAX
: Ebay has made many changes regarding sales tax for
44
states. Please understand {
I Do Not
} collect sales tax, this is another change made by ebay that is becoming mandatory for all sales in all states. Ebay now automatically adds sales tax to all sellers listings even without the sellers knowledge. You will start to see this change on all sellers items in full force by 2021, this is out of control of the sellers. Please view all information very thoroughly.
ANTIQUE DETROIT UNION STATION DEPOT VICTORIAN TERRACOTTA FINIAL ARCHITECTURAL
This auction listing is for a - - {
MAGNIFICENT HISTORIC ARTIFACT
} - - a - -  {
Once In A Life Time Opportunity
}
ITEM DESCRIPTION :
Hello and thank you for expressing an interest in my auction. I am offering for your consideration the following. Here is a  an {
Extremely Scarce
}
129
year old historic architectural artifact that was salvaged from {
Detroit's Historic 1891 Union Station Depot
} during demolition.  This is one of the terracotta finials that was atop the clock tower of the old station. The architectural style is stated as being
Romanesque Revival
, but also has a very strong
Rococo Victorian
influence, what ever style you wish to view it as it can't be denied that this artifact is {
Extremely Attractive
}.  The Union Station construction began in 1891 and was finally completed and opened to the public on January 21st, 1893. The station stood on the corner of
West Fort Street
&
3rd
from 1891 to 1974. The station had closed on April 30, 1971 and just like so many other grand historic buildings Detroit once had, it was allowed to be broken into, vandalized, stripped of it ornate artifacts, and starting in January 1974 the station was demolished.  This finial survived because during the demolition the owner of the demolition company had removed 2 of these finials that were on top of the 8 story clock tower, to display in his yard. The clock tower originally had 8 finials 2 per side of the tower, which were very difficult to salvage due to the height and weight, but mainly due to the height. This information was told to me directly from the retired owner of the company when I had acquired this piece 30 years ago. There were others that were salvaged from various areas of the building, but they all received damage due to the weight and rough handling of the workers, those pieces he said were sold in 1974. The one I am offering for sell is in {
INCREDIBLE CONDITION
} because of the manner in which he had his workmen remove his two. He had sold one of his two he said around 1980, and decided to keep the best of the two he had which is the one I am currently offering.
NOTE
:   What are the chances of acquiring a great artifact such as this finial from a building constructed in 1891, tore down in 1974 than me acquiring it in 1990, and now being offered for sale in the year 2020. All these years it has been preserved and in storage waiting for the  next individual to become the caretaker.
Please view the "
Very Last 3 Pictures
" in this auction that show where the finials were located around the top of the clock tower. The "
Very Last
" is a an original 1974 Detroit News press photo from my personal collection. The photo shows the clock tower prior to demolition, the broken windows on the clock face is because thieves stole the clock arms.  This {
Only One Of  A Kind & Only Surviving One In Outstanding Condition
} Is being offered for sell to individuals who are very serious collectors of antique Detroit Historic Artifacts or Railroad Collectors, Please no game players or time wasters with ridiculous questions or comments. Please view all pictures thoroughly to substantiate it's authenticity of origin.
ITEM CONDITION :
For being
129
years old this finial is in {
Outstanding Condition
}.  Considering this piece was outside on an 8 story high clock tower exposed to all of the yearly weathering elements, rain, snow, ice,cold, sun, heat, the only thing worth mentioning is on the very top and slightly down around the sides closest to the top it has very, very light wear which is to be expected of exterior terracotta.  The entire piece has a very nice over all aged patina which has accentuated the depth of the carvings. The inside is hollow and you can see multiple small finger prints and the smearing of finger lines from when the raw clay was placed into the molds, more than likely they are the fingers from children, no child labor laws back in the day, especially for clay, earthenware and pottery items.  There really isn't much else to say about this piece that the posted pictures can't say for you.  To see this piece in person is actually visually & attention captivating, it's a really great artifact.   This type of antique architectural element would make a great accent interior piece.  You have to really appreciate this type of architectural artifact for interior design, decorating, repurpose into your own creative manner, etc.   This piece has been scrubbed with industrial soap and disinfected when I had acquired it 30 years ago, today is it slightly dusty and just needs to be hosed off if desired. .  This piece measure as follows - -
31
inches tall,
16
inches wide on the very bottom base,
17
to
18
inches wide in the center due to the raised ornate raised relief, the raised relief varies in depths of
1
inch to
3 1/2
inches thick,  and this piece weights roughly
90
to
120
pounds. Very, very nice detail with
2
or
3
very small chips, but that "
Does Not
" distract or compromise the over all integrity of the piece. If you're into historic Detroit history and this type of grandeur of antique architectural artifacts - - {
This
Piece Is Perfect In History
,
Appearance
,
Texture
,
Design
, &
Color
}. Thank you.
Remember this auction has the "
Best Offer
" option, don't hesitate to use it if you have an interest that's why it's there.
REGARDING PICTURES :
When viewing the posted pictures they may seem a little grainy or fuzzy & over or under exposed. This is because I am using an older model Sony camera that still uses floppy disks.
IMPORTANT - - BUYING - SELLING - SHIPPING - INFORMATION :
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING
1.
I
Only Sell
within the lower 48 United States.
2.
"
Paypal Only
" is accepted as my only payment option and your account
{
Must Be Registered In The United States
}...{
No E - Checks
}
3.
Payment respectfully due directly after using the "
Buy It Now
" option.
4.
Very Secure Priority Mailing or 1st Class Mail with tracking, "
unless stated differently on auction
".
5.
Please make sure your mailing address is current with your paypal account because that is the only address I ship items to.
6.
Very Important
Delivery Information
: Please understand I am "
NOT
" responsible for any unforeseen delays  in the delivery time of items once I mail them to you. The delivery time is in the hands of the USPS of which I have no control over. Despite the selection of mailing options offered by ebay when listing an item they mostly all state delivery within 1 to 3 days, in many cases this is just not possible even with priority mail. If this is a concern for you as a buyer and you may be short on patience and understanding please don't purchase from me. Thank you for cooperation and understanding.
Worth mentioning  {
Please view all of the pictures carefully and thoroughly because the pictures are 90% of the condition description
}. I try to give the best accurate written description as possible after viewing each item I list. So please make absolutely certain that you wish to buy or bid on the displayed item in the pictures once you have carefully viewed them.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS :
I do welcome any questions or comments regarding my listings & I do respond to all "
Politely
" structured questions. However please keep in mind that I "
Do Not
" keep my computer on all day as many people do. Questions are usually responded too within 1 to 24 hours, so
Please Have Patience
. { I would be very happy to provide any additional information or pictures for "
Serious Buyers & Bidders Only
". } Thank you for your understanding and for viewing my listing.
Remember
PLEASE
view all pictures carefully and thoroughly before making a transaction decision. I always need to "
Politely Ask
" this because  {
I
do not offer refunds, unless the item is accidentally and seriously misrepresented
} that I am offering. I also stress the thorough viewing of my pictures because I want your buying experience with me to  be a very pleasurable transaction with very clear understanding & communication.....I believe this to be very fair for the both of us.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INTEREST
RESPECTFULLY,
DAVE IN DETROIT