Clown on Globe Mechanical Bank with Yellow Base

Circa 1890: In Penny Lane: A History of Antique Mechanical Toy Banks, author Al Davidson explains that "the 'Clown on Globe' bank was based on Patent No. 428,450 issued to James H. Bowen on May 20, 1890. The patent is the same one used for 'Girl Skipping Rope' and was issued for a mechanism which is common to both banks. The J. & E. Stevens Co., Cromwell, Ct., was the manufacturer" (64). This version of the Clown on Globe has the scarce yellow base and the round Stevens coin trap. The bank retains an unusually high percentage of its colorful original paint, and is in superb working order with no touch-ups, chips, cracks, or repairs. This is a very fine example of one of the most unusual, graphically pleasing, and kinetic of all the great American cast iron mechanical banks.