Circa 1911: Designed by Charles A. Bailey for the J. & E. Stevens Company in Cromwell, Connecticut, the scarce Lion Hunter mechanical bank depicts outdoorsman and hunter President Theodore Roosevelt shooting a lion and commemorates his big game safari in Africa.
For Sale: $13,500
Circa 1892: Designed by Charles A. Bailey and manufactured by The J. & E. Stevens Company in Cromwell, Connecticut, Professor Pug Frog's Great Bicycle Feat is one of the most ingenious cast iron mechanical banks ever produced.
For Sale: $9,450
Circa 1891: Manufactured by J. & E. Stevens Co., the scarce cat and mouse mechanical bank was marketed in many different paint schemes, and this example with beautiful light blue leaf decoration is one of the rarest and most visually pleasing color variations.
For Sale: $8,950
Circa 1912-1917: Designed by Charles A. Bailey for the J. & E. Stevens Company in Cromwell, Connecticut, the Boy Scout Camp mechanical bank features three boy scouts at their campsite with a cauldron, coffee pot, flag, owl, and teepee.
For Sale: $6,950
Circa 1884: Designed by Alfred C. Rex and manufactured by Frankford, Pennsylvania's Kyser & Rex Company, the Mammy and Child mechanical bank is scarce indeed, especially with its original spoon.
For Sale: $5,950
Circa 1901: Designed by Charles A. Bailey for Cromwell, Connecticut's J. & E. Stevens Company in Cromwell, Connecticut, the endearing magician mechanical bank portrays a magician demonstrating the disappearing coin trick.
For Sale: $5,750
Circa 1901: Designed by Charles A. Bailey for the J. & E. Stevens Company in Cromwell, Connecticut, the hard to find Hen and Chick mechanical bank is one of the firm's most endearing creations, featuring a protective mother hen and her precious yellow nestling, who pops out from under his mother's feathers to push the coin into the bank for safekeeping.
For Sale: $5,195
Circa 1886: Designed by Charles Shepard and Peter Adams Jr. and manufactured by Shepard Hardware Company in Buffalo, New York, the Stump Speaker mechanical bank lampoons post Civil War carpetbaggers.
For Sale: $4,950
Circa 1899: Designed by Charles A. Bailey for Cromwell, Connecticut's J. & E. Stevens Company the popular Chief Big Moon mechanical bank features the surprising scene of a frog leaping from a pond and trying to grab the woman's fish.
For Sale: $4,850
Circa 1899: On page 74 of his Official Price Guide to Mechanical Banks (Gemstone Publishing 2007), Dan Morphy notes that "a red-base Chief Big Moon is worth twice as much as a Chief Big Moon in standard color."
For Sale: $4,650
Circa 1884: The Shepard Hardware Company in Buffalo, New York, manufactured cast iron mechanical banks for a scant ten year period and is known for the high quality and beautiful paint schemes of their ingenious mechanical banks, most of which, like the ever popular Punch and Judy bank, were designed by Peter Adams, Jr.
For Sale: $4,250
Circa 1895: Produced by the Judd Manufacturing Company, the Dog on Turntable mechanical bank is rarely found in multicolor paint schemes like this wonderful example.
For Sale: $3,950
Circa 1890: 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.
For Sale: $3,750
Circa 1891: Designed by Charles G. Shepard and Peter Adams and manufactured by Buffalo, New York's legendary Shepard Hardware Comany, this colorful and amusing cast iron bank depicts two young men playing the classic child's game of leap frog, whose origins stretch back to the late 16th century.
For Sale: $3,250
Circa 1883: Designed by Louis Keyser and Alfred C. Rex and manufactured by Frankford, Pennsylvania's Keyser and Rex, the lion and monkeys mechanical bank presents a pair of treed monkeys feeding a hungry lion from just out of its deadly reach.
For Sale: $2,950
Circa 1889: Buffalo, New York's Shepard Hardware Company manufactured a bevy of classic mechanical banks, and the iconic Santa Claus standing at the chimney remains one of its most popular and endearing creations.
For Sale: $2,850
Circa 1878: John Girard’s highly detailed Pelican mechanical bank was manufactured by Cromwell, Connecticut bank giant J. and E. Stevens Company and depicts a realistic pelican who has captured a comical Middle Eastern gentleman in its mouth.
For Sale: $2,795
Circa 1891: Designed by Philadelphia's James H. Bowen and manufactured by The J. & E. Stevens Company in Cromwell, Connecticut, the charming and relatively scarce Monkey and Coconut mechanical bank is noted for the monkey's unusually realistic portrayal in an era when most banks presented stereotypical or cartoonish visions of their subjects.
For Sale: $2,695
Circa 1890: Ingeniously designed by Charles A. Bailey for J. & E. Stevens Company, the Bad Accident mechanical bank features a mule drawn wagon whose driver who is too busy munching a slice of watermelon to notice a careless child run out in front of the wagon from behind a bush and cause a calamitous accident that spooks the mules, upends the wagon, and throws the poor driver backward.
For Sale: $2,650
Circa 1888: Cast iron Boy on Trapeze mechanical bank, J. Barton Smith Co., Philadelphia PA, excellent original paint, no chips, cracks, or repairs, 9.5”H x 5”L x 5”D.
For Sale: $2,450
Circa 1882: Made by the Connecticut company J. and E. Stevens, out of Cromwell Connecticut.
For Sale: $2,450
Circa 1882: This example has 85% of its original paint, has never been touched up or repainted, and has no chips, cracks, or repairs.
For Sale: $1,950
Circa 1890s: The Speaking Dog, like the Girl Skipping Rope, is one of a handful of mechanical banks marketed specifically for girls and the blue dress variation is the most difficult to find.
For Sale: $1,950
Circa 1915: Created by New York City's John W. Schmitt and manufactured by The J. & E. Stevens Company in Cromwell, Connecticut, the elusive Bill E. Grin mechanical bank has a simple action (sliding a coin into the top of Bill's head) and a surprising result (Bill's long tongue sliding out of his upturned mouth) that surely meant to both delight and frighten children in the same manner as early 20th century Halloween and Christmas decorations.
For Sale: $1,895
Circa 1925-1935: Hubley produced the Trick Dog mechanical bank with the single part base in the 1920s or 1930s and this collector quality example has survived in stunning near mint condition.
For Sale: $1,850
Circa 1890: This version of the Clown on Globe has the brown base and the round Stevens coin trap. This is a fine example of one of the most unusual, graphically pleasing, and kinetic of all the great American cast iron mechanical banks.
For Sale: $1,850
Circa 1873: This colorful red, yellow, and blue Novelty Bank is in great condition and has no chips, cracks, touch ups, or repairs.
For Sale: $1,750
Circa 1882: Produced by Frankford, Pennsylvania's Kyser & Rex Company, the large organ mechanical bank features three moving figures and loud ringing bells that simulate the sound of an organ when the crank is turned in order to deposit a coin.
For Sale: $1,695
Circa 1880s: Notoriously difficult to find in excellent original paint, the scarce Tabby Bank portrays a cat sitting atop an egg with an emerging chick. Most likely produced by Kyser & Rex in Philadelphia.
For Sale: $1,495
Circa 1875: This bank was made in many color schemes , but this patriotic variation in red, white, and blue remains the most endearing.
For Sale: $1,450
Circa 1872: Made in many color combinations and designed by Russell Frisbie, the Frog on Round Base mechanical bank was patented on August 20, 1872 and manufactured by Cromwell, Connecticut's storied J. & E. Stevens Company.
For Sale: $1,395
Circa 1880: Designed by James H. Bowen and manufactured by The J. & E. Stevens Company in Cromwell, Connecticut, the highly popular Owl Turns Head mechanical bank was produced in many color schemes, this one being the brown variation.
For Sale: $995
Circa 1875: Philadelphia's Enterprise Manufacturing Company was awarded the contract to produce architecturcal still banks for the 1876 Centennial celebration in the City of Brotherly Love, and this scarce 6 3/8"H x 11"L x 3"D "small" version of the cast iron 3 in 1 Independence Hall still bank is a fine example of the banks made for our nation's 100th anniversary.
For Sale: $2,950
Circa 1872: Manufactured by Cromwell, Connecticut's J and E Stevens Company, this cast iron Home Bank features a patriotic red, white, and blue paint scheme and is the very scarce still bank variation of its widely distributed mechanical cousin.
For Sale: $2,850
Circa 1873: Manufactured by Cromwell, Connecticut's J and E Stevens Company and dated "Oct. 1st 1873" on the back, the 5 1/2"H x 4 1/4"W x 3 3/8"D cast iron City Bank with Crown features an extremely scarce green building with white trim, the rarest of its six color variations.
For Sale: $1,650
Circa 1905: Manufactured in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, by the little known firm Ober Manufacturing Company is this rare 5" tall The Capitalist sociopolitical themed still bank.
For Sale: $1,595
Circa 1908: Signed "Copyright by J. M. Harper 1907," this scarce cast iron still bank depicts a stork delivering a baby. Figural safe banks are rare and desirable in the bank collecting community, and finding the only one designed by the elusive Mr. Harper is a difficult feat indeed.
For Sale: $1,495
Circa 1923-1926: The cast iron Yellow Cab is Freeport, Illinois, toy giant Arcade Manufacturing Company's most famous creation. This is the 8" still bank variant of the iconic Arcade Yellow Cab.
For Sale: $1,295
Circa 1925-1950: Measuring 8" in height, this rare salt glazed sewer tile football on tee bank is most probably the work of legendary Tuscarawas County, Ohio, potter Edward J. Ellwood.
For Sale: $1,150
Circa 1911-1932: Manufactured in Kenton, Ohio this 9 5/8" tall Statue of Liberty penny bank in its original silver paint with gold highlights is the largest and most difficult to find version of this patriotic still bank.
For Sale: $950
Circa 1890s: This delightful cast iron piggy bank sports an unusual striated copper flashed japanning. Ingeniously, the maufacturer has used the flashed surface to give the bank the appearance of the Gloucestershire Old Spots pig, a breed that has been around for centuries but was not given pedigree until 1913.
For Sale: $925
Circa Early 20th Century: Manufactured in Ravenna, Ohio, by still bank giant A.C. Williams, this 5.75" cast iron baseball player penny bank is modeled after Hall of Fame baseball palyer Ty Cobb, The Georgia Peach, the most storied athelete of his era.
For Sale: $795
Circa 1882: Manufactured by J and E Stevens Company, the Shell Out bank carries a humorous message by asking its keeper to "shell out" some change, thus serving as a teaching tool for children to set back a few pennies for a rainy day.
For Sale: $750
Circa 1910-1913: Sporting near mint black paint and what appears to be an unturned orginial screw, this high grade seal on rock still bank manufactured by Freeport, Illinois, cast iron toy giant Arcade measures 3.5" tall and 4.25" long.
For Sale: $695
Circa Early 20th Century: This classic bank retains its original paint, has its original screw, and serves as a fantastic tribute to America's favorite pastime.
For Sale: $595
Circa Early 20th Century: Manufactured in Ravenna, Ohio, by still bank giant A.C. Williams, this 5" tall cast iron Buster Brown and Tige penny bank has original four color paint scheme.
For Sale: $325
Circa Early 20th Century: This 5.25" tall cast iron Mutt and Jeff penny bank depicts Bud Fisher's famous comic strip characters posing on a box.
For Sale: $295
Bob Zordani and Heidi Kellner: (217) 714-5016, Lexington, Virginia: zandk@zandkantiques.com
