Vintage Mechanical and Still Banks

During our auction days, I was always drawn to vintage toy banks. I loved writing them up and putting them in our auctions. I think this is because I was a spender my entire life instead of a saver. Apparently it was my fascination with the unknown that drew me to them.

Sarcasm aside, the main two types of vintage toy banks are referred to as still and mechanical. Toy banks came in every shape and size imaginable. Because of this, vintage toy banks can be a dream come true for a collector. It could take someone years just to collect half of the vintage banks that are in circulation today.

This could be a great hobby for a young person. Not only could it keep a pre-teen or a teenager busy at yard sales, flea markets, antique malls and auction houses it would also be a great way to teach them to save for a rainy day. Perhaps I am being old fashioned. Would a teenager consider getting involved with something like this or would it be too square to even consider?

It might not be the cool thing for a teenager to do. Peer pressure and all that. However, he who laughs last, laughs best. Spending a lot of time stockpiling such a collection might not keep a teenager out of trouble but what it will do is provide that teenager with a nice little nest egg later on in life.

Some vintage banks today bring hundreds of dollars. Not many teenagers can afford to spend that kind of money on one bank. However, buying some less expensive banks that are available today could turn into a decent return on his or her investment in 50 or so years when retirement looms large. Wish I had thought to do this when I was younger. Now it's too late. Too many banks, not enough time.

Mechanical Banks

Starting in the 1870's until roughly 1940, mechanical banks were produced in many shapes and covered almost every subject matter. Themes included all types of people, animals, sports, activities and even politics. Over 200 different models were produced.

Made of cast iron they were very complex in their movements. When you placed a coin in the proper spot and pulled the lever the character or characters would then perform the necessary action or actions to store away the coin.

Each mechanical bank was made originally from clay and then a brass mold was created. From this mold came another mold made of sand. Each sand mold was used only once in order to maintain the integrity of the detail.

Very few collectibles can show the distinct difference between replicas and reproductions quite as well as mechanical banks. In the late 1950's, the Grolier Society who was the publisher of the Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia obtained a number of original mechanical banks. They used these samples to produce very fine replicas.

The ones we have seen over the years were all signed "Book of Knowledge" on the bottom of their bases. They also came with Certificates of Authenticity. These replicas were fashioned in the same manner as their original counterparts.

Instead of brass master molds, the master molds were made of aluminum but, just like the first banks, sand molds were created from the masters and each sand mold was only used once. The rest of the process was also the same. Replicas were assembled by hand and hand decorated.

In today's market, these Book of Knowledge cast iron mechanical banks are highly collectible and fetch quite a handsome sum. The same cannot be said for the modern day reproductions that are made overseas. The designs are similar but the details and craftsmanship are much cruder than both of the earlier versions.

Still Banks

Still banks (non-mechanical banks) date back much further than their mechanical brethren. It is believed that the first still banks go back as far as five hundred years. I imagine there are not too many of the very first still banks in your local antique shops. However, there are some wonderful still banks from the 1800's and early 1900's out there looking for a home.

They, too, were also produced in every shape, size and color. Buildings, people and animals were the most common subjects. Unlike mechanical banks, still banks were made out of any number of different materials to include wood, glass, pottery, porcelain, metal and cast iron. Common themes were safes, mailboxes, bank buildings, skyscrapers, elephants, horses, policemen, boats, soldiers, cars, black Americana, cats, dogs and the very famous pigs.

Piggy Banks

Most people believe that the well-known piggy bank came into being by accident. In olden days, many people made their own jars and other containers from a type of clay called "pygg." This clay was commonly used because it was so economical. Folklore has it that someone was asked to make a "pygg" bank. This person misunderstood and created a "pig" bank instead. The piggy bank was born and has been the most popular still bank every since.

Book Banks and Dime Banks

Within the family of still banks you will also find book banks and dime banks. Book banks were usually advertising banks issued by brick and mortar banking institutions. They were small and shaped like a book with a hard case that had the look of leather. Each came with a key and had the name of the bank embossed on the cover.

Dime banks are also small. The figural ones are usually made from cast iron. Tin ones shaped like small containers were also produced with lithographs of famous people such as Superman and Popeye.

Anyone, teenager or not, who has a discerning eye and the patience to wait for a good deal can accumulate quite an impressive array of mechanical and still banks. When the time comes, these banks may be worth enough money to generate a sizable deposit for the real bank.

Written by Anne Benedetto, Auction House Talk
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