Washington Monument, D.C. benchmark paperweight

3 1/4 inch diameter
Cast in fine pewter
Felt backing
With soft fleece pouch
In clear-vinyl covered box

PLACE NAME: Washington Monument
ELEVATION: 555 ft.
COORDINATES: N38° 53' 22.08377'' W77° 02' 06.86378''
LOCATION: National Mall, District of Columbia, USA

This beloved and well-known monument is the world's tallest free-standing masonry structure; it is arguably the nation's most recognized landmark and stands as a tribute to freedom. Little recognized is the fact it also functions as a survey monument. Upon completion by the US Corps of Army Engineers in 1884, scaffolding was mounted around the apex of the massive structure. From there, survey measurements of the surrounding vicinity were made - an appropriate use of the monument to George Washington a surveyor in his youth.
In August, 1999, during the restoration of the monument, the National Geodetic Survey made GPS observations from its apex and established precise position and elevation measu