ALMS FOR THE POOR?

This is an iron money box, c 1540. It would have been used in a church or an hospital to collect money for the poor. A lot of these boxes had chains to prevent theft but I see no place on this one where a chain might have been attached. Perhaps it was in private use. The neat little handle indicates to me that it could be carried off and opened with the assistance of a large boulder or an iron hammer. It is 11 cm high X 10 wide or 4 1/2 inches X 4.

The white spot on it has been there for as long as I've known this box. It's a bird dropping, what else?

This was done with the macro lens, back and working, hand held, although perhaps I should not have used it on this.

Forget the crocuses and daffodils blipped earlier. The long range weather forecast is for temperatures in diminuzione, snow in the hills, light rain elsewhere. The few blissy sunny days were only a tempting preview.

For the record: + 7 C, cloudy. Sunrise 7:22; sunset 5:43. The cat is coiled up in his box; the dogs are twitchy and looking for an excuse to have a bark fest.

I see the one-star bandits are out in force today and definitely do not like rusty iron boxes.