Antique Cast Iron Mechanical Banks

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Cast Iron Mechanical Banks

These banks were created to make the act of saving money fun, especially for children. Insert a coin, push a lever, and watch the action play out! The coin might be fired into a fort from a canon, placed into an animal's mouth before being swallowed, or put in a man's hand for him to slide into his pocket (called the "Boss man"). Other mechanical-bank actions prompted human and animal figures to kick, jump, dance, and do headstands.

Mechanical banks were first manufactured in the late 1800s, as the middle class emerged and grew in prosperity during the Industrial Revolution. Hence, the concept of earning and saving money became more and more important, particularly as a value to impart to children.

James Serrill patented the first U.S. mechanical bank in early 1869. Called Bureau, this simple wooden device required the user to place a coin in a drawer. When the drawer was closed, the coin was deposited into the holding compartment inside. The same year, the first patent was issued for a cast-iron mechanical bank, Hall's Excelsior. In that device, a coin was placed on a cashier's desk on top of the bank, and the weight of the coin caused the figure to drop into the bank building below. The time between 1869 and 1930 is known as the golden age of cast-iron mechanical banks.

In America, most of them were manufactured by three companies: J. & E. Stevens Co. of Cromwell, Connecticut; Shepard Hardware Co. of Buffalo, New York; and Kyser & Rex Co. of Frankford, Pennsylvania. In Europe, similar banks were made by tin-toy manufacturers such as Bing and Saalheimer & Strauss.

Some banks were simply intended to convey the wonder and innocence of childhood, like the Speaking Dog Bank and Girl Skipping Rope Bank. Depositing a coin into the Clown on Globe bank prompted a clown to dance and do a headstand. Other popular banks featured a monkey springing toward an organ grinder (Monkey Bank),

One of the most common cast-iron banks was known as the 1873 Tammany Bank, named after Tammany Hall, the headquarters to the New York County Democratic Executive Committee. The clever mechanisms of the mechanical bank begin when you drop a coin into the man’s hand. He quickly places it into his jacket and nods. In an early advertisement, J. and E. Stevens Foundry described the mechanism “Put a coin in his hand and see how promptly he pockets it and how politely he bows his thanks.”

It is also common for early banks to have hairline cracks in the iron, crazing in the paint, and paint that's flaked or faded. Cosmetic repairs, though, are usually discouraged.

Reference: https://www.collectorsweekly.com/coin-operated/mechanical-banks

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The Aris Collection

Hobby Ceramics

Cast Iron Banks

Collectible items made in Occupied Japan during the summer of 1945 through the spring of 1952 while U.S. troops were in the country. The entire collection is up for sale and includes all documentation.

As of March 2023, Agnestelle Hobby Ceramic Shop only has finished pieces for sale. All molds, bisque and supplies have been turned over to Emma's Ceramic Studio (ECS).

Authentic still and Mechanical cast iron banks from the Collection of Charles Westey Atwood. These banks were first manufactured in the late 1800s, to instill the concept of earning saving money.