The Liberty Bell is among the most recognisable symbols of the independence of the United States of America. Commissioned in 1751, it hangs near Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where it was rung to celebrate the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence on 8 July 1776. It bears the motto ‘Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof’.

This miniature copy of the bell was given to The Queen at Independence Hall during her 1976 State Visit to the United States, which coincided with the bicentennial of American Independence. During the visit, The Queen presented a Bicentennial Bell made at the Whitechapel Foundry in London where the original Liberty Bell was cast in 1752.