For sale is a French antique metal pocket shrine with a religious scene. The scene features eight people and has the following text engraved at the bottom (some letters have rubbed away):
?S Sts MAR??AN?DI??S
Size: 3.6cm x 2.6cm x 0.8cm
The case itself has two red glass windows on the front, and the back reads "EN CAS D'ACCIDENT GRAVE JE RECLAME PRÈS DE MOI LE PRÊTRE CATHOLIQUE" ("in case of serious accident I claim next to me a Catholic priest").
Condition is good, rusting on back and interior of case.
The concept of portable shrines has been around for thousands of years but there was a particular boom of them in WWI France, where they would often be made from bullet casings or scrap metal.