Gifts have existed as long as man has had to celebrate, honor, thank or apologize for something. Since we’re looking to make the world’s greatest gift cards, we thought we’d use this forum to on occasion commend and discuss some of the more (in)famous presents in world history. To begin this series, let’s revisit the Mother of Exiles, that most patriotic girl in the world, Lady Liberty.

On the one hand, this colossal neoclassical structure was a truly revolutionary gift, and certainly the certainly remains the very embodiment of freedom. It really ties New York Harbor together, and besides that it seems rare for nation-states to put the time and effort into great presents these days (by contrast, Russia gave France a Fuddruckers gift card last year).

On the other hand, the “some assembly required” made the “batteries not included” of Christmases past seem tame by comparison. Just the arm was displayed in Madison Square Garden from 1876-1882, fundraising proved difficult, the statue  had to be shipped overseas in crates and then assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe’s Island, and the whole thing turned into a lot of work.

So: Statue of Liberty, great housewarming gift or harder to build correctly than a model airplane?