This beautiful commemorative plate from the early 1900s has pierced edges and a political theme that promotes the construction of the Panama Canal by the United States. The full color painting on the face of the plate depicts Teddy Roosevelt, holding a gun, watching over a bunch of bears digging the Panama Canal. The words printed at the bottom of the painting say " Digging the Ditch at Panama " and the message above Teddy Roosevelt says " To finish this great work we need no foreign aid for we can do it all ourselves with spirit and with spade ". There are no cracks or chips, but there are a couple of small spots of missing paint, most noticeable on the bear to the right. Also, a a couple of letters seem to be missing (manufacturing error?), but there is no problem with reading the message.

Most of what I sell has some age. It should be expected that these items will have some sort of wear or patina unless listed as "mint". Flaws created during the manufacturing may not be mentioned as these are part of the character of vintage or antique items. These flaws may, however, be mentioned if they cause a structural defect affecting the items integrity. Thank you for your interest in this item.