Original Eagle and Eaglets Mechanical Bank

Circa 1883: Designed by Chicagos's Charles M. Henn for the J. & E. Stevens Company in Cromwell, Connecticut, the wildly popular eagle and eaglets mechanical bank depicts a mother eagle feeding her nestlings. This patriotic mechanical mechanical bank has a very complex action and works well. When the snake lever is pressed, the large eagle, coin in mouth, dips toward her young as her wings spread and the eaglets rise toward their mother's offering, their own tiny beaks opening as their mother drops the coin into the nest's slot. This bank was produced in many color schemes, and this one sports an apple green base with standard gray eaglets. The eagle's back retains exceptionally good black dots, and the bank's original paint has a fine aged patina that should easily clean to a higher grade. Mechanical banks were meant to teach children that saving money is fun and provide them positive reinforcement when they chose to put away a coin for a rainy day, and the eagle and eaglets bank, in particular, provides a simple metaphor for America nourishing her citizens and protecting them from those who would cause harm, in this case the snake and the boar lying in wait not far from the America's great nest. It's no wonder this bank was (and still is) so endearing to children and adults alike. This bank retains its original coin trap and is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, or repairs.