Antique Cast Iron INA Insurance Heraldic Eagle Fire Mark Plaque 1792 11"

Description

Antique cast iron INA Insurance eagle plaque, circa mid 19th century. Stamped INA, 1792.

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. 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 Insurance Company of North America issued this fire mark in 1830. This fire mark is based on the designs of Claudius Francis LeGrand, consisting of an image of a spread-winged eagle rising from a cloud embossed upon a cast iron oval with a beaded edge. A group of influential citizens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founded the Insurance Company of North America in 1792. The INA was the first joint stock insurance company in the United States, and focused its business on marine and fire insurance. The Insurance Company of North America and related companies merged with the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company in 1982 to become the CIGNA Corporation. A later sale made INA a part of ACE Holdings, where it still operates today.

Condition

Some oxidation to surface

Dimensions

8.5" x 0.5" x 11.25" (W x D x H)