This limited edition, bronze-patinated, solid copper executive toy was manufactured by the Wells Fargo Bank in 1979. This model of the combination lock that opened the company’s original 1906 bank vault is cast from the melted-down, original door of the vault. The April 18, 1906 earthquake that damaged much of Northern California is estimated to have been between 7.9 and 8.3 on the Richter Scale. Broken gas mains caused multiple fires throughout San Francisco and broken water mains made it impossible to put them out. The city burned uncontrollably for three days destroying 28,000 buildings and leaving its commercial and financial districts in ruins. The headquarters of the Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank (as the company was then known) at the corner Pine St. and Montgomery St, was also destroyed. But as luck would have it, a new fireproof vault had been installed several months before the disaster. All but a few of the Bank’s records survived, allowing it to set up temporary quarters and to serve its depositors almost as soon as the ashes had cooled, and rebuilding begun. According to the current Wells Fargo Bank historian, the 1970s saw a lively increase in customers’ interest in collectables commemorating the bank’s history, perhaps due to the U.S. Bicentennial, This paperweight is stamped with date of issue and serial number. Its finely tooled, revolving dial also puts it in the category of the stress-reducing executive desk “toys” that were coming into fashion at the time. Condition: Excellent. Dimensions: Diameter 3.5” x 1.5”.