Antique Dutch St Joseph Mission Tin Charity Collection Box Bank 1920s 1930s

Scarce antique Dutch Catholic missionary fundraising collection box/bank for the St. Joseph’s Congregation for Foreign Missions (St. Joseph’s Congregatie voor Vreemde Missiën).  This fascinating lithographed tin collection box features period photographic images, a coin slot in the top, hanging loop, hinged lid, keyhole and internal coin mechanism.  Dutch inscriptions include “Helpt de Missie!” (“Help the Mission!”) and “God loont U” (“God rewards you”). The back identifies St. Joseph missionary institutions in Roosendaal and Tilburg as well as Huize Vrijland in Arnhem.  Believed to date approximately to the 1920s–1930s.  Measures approximately 3¼” wide × 2¼” deep × 4¼” high, excluding the hanging loop.  Authentic antique condition with substantial age-related wear including scratches, scuffs, oxidation, discoloration and areas of lithographed surface loss. Interior shows considerable age and use. Please examine all photographs carefully for condition.  No key is included. The hinged top currently opens, as shown in the photographs.  An unusual piece of early 20th-century Dutch religious, missionary and charitable fundraising history.  Purchased at the IJ-Hallen flea market in Amsterdam, Netherlands.