Above: Front of the Specimen Card In 1800, when only the first of its wings had been completed, the United States Capitol held its first meeting of Congress. Since then, through renovations, destructions, expansions, and more, the building has served as the legislative heart of the country. It is where the law of the land is drafted, critiqued, and created, and for many, where democracy prevails over chaos and tyranny.Even after the Statue of Freedom was mounted at the apex of the dome in 1863, the Capitol still underwent changes that continue to this day. Like the democratic government the building represents, it is never truly finished, ever-changing with new improvements, new faces, and new ideas. This specimen is a fragment of the first marble steps of the U.S. Capitol, originally installed in 1870 and replaced 1995 with granite. Marble was an extremely important material in the eyes of the designers. They wished to invoke the image of ancient Greek and Roman architecture in their new country, something that was reflected not only in the structure but the very stones that built it. However, when the Capitol was first planned, there were no known marble deposits near Washington D.C. Aquia Creek sandstone was used as a replacement at first, but as the country grew and the Capitol began to require renovation, marble was brought in from across the nation. Deposits from Massachusetts, Georgia, and even new quarries near the Potomac supplied new interiors, columns, facades, and stairways. As with the Aquia Creek sandstone, this material has been made available at times for collectible in various forms. This particular piece of marble was part of a limited edition book-end set created in the late 1990s. Each hand-cut fragment is encased inside an acrylic specimen jar and presented in one of our classic, glass-topped riker display boxes. The size of each specimen varies, but on average they measure 6 to 10 millimeters along each edge. The riker display box measures 4 1/2" x 3 1/2". A small information card is also included, which serves as the certificate of authenticity.
