Handmade Jewish National Fund collection box – "Blue Box" for donations. Palestine, [ca. 1920s].
Wood (plywood), cardboard, and fabric; ink on paper.
Handmade JNF collection box. Slot for coin deposit in front. Above slot, Hebrew inscription: "For Keren Kayemet" with large Star of David underneath this.
Back of box made of plywood; front (i.e., lid) made from cardboard. Cloth strap connects both parts of box and serves as hinge. Cord on left side, for securing lid. Cloth hanger threaded through horizontal slot at top center of plywood back.
Soon after its establishment, the Jewish National Fund successfully set up a thorough and efficient fundraising system. JNF collection boxes were quickly and widely distributed throughout the Jewish world in a host of different models, from a wide variety of materials (including a cardboard foldup model), and in all shapes and sizes. In most cases, an abundance of "official" JNF collection boxes rendered the production of improvised boxes unnecessary. Moreover, such improvised boxes were typically made from degradable and disposable materials that seldom survived the ravages of time. Naturally, therefore, extant boxes of this kind are exceptionally rare.
Height: 13 cm. Width: 7.5 cm. Depth: 4 cm.