Clown on Globe Mechanical Bank

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 brown base and the round Stevens coin trap. The paint is completely original, and the bank itself is in superb working order and has no touch-ups, chips, cracks, or repairs. This is a fine example of one of the most unusual, graphically pleasing, and kinetic of all the great American cast iron mechanical banks.