Bells
It is probably because bells have played so prominent a part in the history of mankind and are so much a part of our lives today that they have so strong a fascination for so many collectors. Church bells date back to the beginning of the Christian era, when they summoned Romans to church, as bells had earlier summoned members to the Roman Senate. A bell hailed the coming of the town crier; a bell led to the lost sheep on the mountainside. Bells tinkled in the temples. The Liberty Bell heralded the freedom of the thirteen colonies. Bells have sound, shape, texture, color, meaning.A bell today heralds a welcome visitor or a bill collector at the door; good news or bad over the telephone; the approach of a railroad train, a fire engine, an ambulance, or the Good Humor Man. Church bells toll for weddings, and for funerals. School bells clang to start the day and end the recess. Bells have been heralds of joy and sorrow and portentous news since the first bronze bell tolled in China many centuries ago.
There are hundreds of kinds of bells and many varieties of each kind: call bells, camel bells, doorbells, dinner bells, tea bells, church bells, school bells, ship's bells, bicycle bells, sleigh bells, slave bells, cow bells, cat bells, goat bells, fire bells, and many, many more.
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May 13, 2008