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Thanks, @catonwheels! I appreciate it. That obelisk has fascinated me since I first saw it I don't know when, but many years ago. There's a series of plaques there explaining how the original "exporters" (some might say thieves) took it down from its original placing in Egypt (hope I got a photo of the explanation...will have to root around) then shipped it to Paris and installed it in its current seat. Quite a feat of engineering and amazing it didn't get damaged. I'm not sure if the original in Egypt was gold-capped - it would be great if someone knowledgeable about Egyptology could chime in here.