Toy, Bank and Soldier Specialist CATALOG 56 Presented Within This Catalog Are the Finest Mechanical Banks, Early Toys and Toy Soldiers to Be Made Available in Years
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Toy, Bank and Soldier Specialist CATALOG 56 Presented within this catalog are the finest mechanical banks, early toys and toy soldiers to be made available in years. There are many “one of a kind” and “best known example” items that will either greatly improve your collection or start your collecting at an extremely high level. All items have been personally selected and vetted to the highest standards - virtually all are world class examples. These toys will sell quickly. Call to acquire your favorite today. Ray Haradin 412-343-8733 [email protected] Steven Weiss Leon Weiss Toy and Bank Consultant Toy and Bank Consultant 212-729-0011 917-991-7352 [email protected] PAGE 1 Mechanical Banks Stump Speaker Dinah with Short Sleeves Made by Shepard Hardware Company Near Mint Plus Condition John Harper & Co. Ltd. Pristine Condition Buffalo, New York - Circa 1886 $14,500 England - Circa 1910 $2,800 With his flashy duds, bow tie and top hat, the Stump Speaker is Dinah is presented as an ample bosomed woman dressed in her meant as an outrageous caricature of a black dandy dressed as a finest costume and adorned with earrings, necklace and brooch. “carpetbagger”. These nefarious and reprehensible opportunists She anticipates swallowing your coins with a broad smile. emerged at the close of the Civil War to take advantage of the southern genteel society that had enslaved them. Coins drop from his right hand into the bag when the lever is pressed. I Always Did ‘Spise a Mule, Bench - Yellow Base Green Cabin Bank Made by the J. & E. Stevens Company Excellent Plus Condition Made by the J. & E. Stevens Company Pristine Condition Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1897 $4,200 Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1883 $2,450 A young man attempts to discipline his mule with the emphasis of A lazy country bumpkin stands idly in his doorway. Rather than his switch. But the tables are turned when the clever beast spins sweep out his shack or fix its broken windows, he stares into around and kicks him in the face. space, hands in his pockets. Place a coin on the roof above his head and pull the broom forward. This causes him to flip around and kick your penny into his house. PAGE 2 Mechanical Banks Boys Stealing Watermelons Kyser & Rex Pristine Plus Condition Pennsylvania - Circa 1890 $15,000 One boy has already made off with a coveted watermelon. He is ducking under the fence. He turns back to see whether his friend will successfully purloin a melon without rousing the sleeping dog. Darktown Battery Made by the J. & E. Stevens Company Pristine Condition Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1888 $9,500 Place a coin in the pitcher’s hand and press the lever. He pitches the coin and the batter swings, but the coin sails so quickly by him that it deflects off the chest protector of the catcher, dropping into the bank. Bad Accident Made by the J. & E. Stevens Company Near Pristine Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1888 Condition $6,250 A farmer causes a “bad accident” while driving his crops to market because he eats a juicy slice of watermelon instead of paying attention to his mule. PAGE 3 Mechanical Banks Girl Skipping Rope Bank By J & E Stevens Company Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1890 Pristine Condition $95,000 The Girl Skipping Rope is the most complex mechanical bank ever produced. It is composed of more than fifty separately cast pieces and includes an elaborate spring and flywheel mechanism. The action is astonishing. It simulates the physical movements associated with jumping rope with uncanny verisimilitude. As the rope goes around, we can see her legs move back and forth and her head turn from side to side. Dynamic colors and a whimsical entrepreneurial mouse who takes your coins add to the great visual appeal of this bank. PAGE 4 Mechanical Banks Freedman’s Bank Made by Jerome B. Secor Bridgeport, Connecticut - Circa 1875 Provenance: Perelman Toy Museum The Louis Filler Collection Excellent Plus Condition $225,000 Many mechanical bank collectors consider the Freedman’s Bank the finest toy bank ever made. It draws its inspiration from current events of the period. On March 3, 1865, as part of the final acts of the Lincoln administration, Congress established the Freedman’s Bureau within the War Department to aid newly freed slaves become self sufficient. The complexity of the bank’s design, coupled with the ingenuity of its execution, firmly establish it as the most astonishing American toy created in the late 19th century. However, such unabashed bravura came at a great cost, especially in terms of the income scale of the day. Indeed, Secor’s promotional handbill advertised it for sale at $4.50, but this was probably the distributors cost. In the 1880 Oscar Strasburger Catalogue it was listed at $66.00 per dozen ($5.50 apiece). Again, probably the distributors cost. Furthermore, note that production costs had already increased by $1.00 in just several years. The retail recipient of this amazing toy bank probably paid as much as $7.50 for it, the equivalent of three weeks wages for a worker. A wide range of materials were used to simulate the realistic action of the figure seated behind his desk. These include: wood, cast iron, lead alloys, brass, metal tubing, paper and cloth. The sensitivity and complexity of the mechanism, with its myriad wires and activating pulleys, represent the engineering genius of Jerome Secor. To operate the bank, begin by winding it. Place a coin on the desk by the figure’s left hand and press the activating lever. This causes him to turn his head from side to side and rake the coin into the hole in the desk. Simultaneously, he raises his right hand to his face and thumbs his nose, moving each finger independently. He then lowers his right arm to its original position. PAGE 5 Mechanical Banks Spring-Jawed Monkey Polychrome Monkey - Coin in Stomach Spring-Jawed Bonzo Bank Germany - Circa 1920 Excellent Condition Designed by Charles F. Ritchel Very Fine Condition Germany - Circa 1930 Very Fine Condition $10,500 Bridgeport, Connecticut - Circa 1882 $7500 $4500 There are ten different known spring- This adorable primate is arguably one of the most This attentive pup is an image of Bonzo, jawed mechanical banks. They depict esoteric toy banks ever made. Experts have theorized commercial artist George Studdy’s lovable birds and animals. This impish little that he was produced by the Ives Company of canine “everyman”. Place a coin in his monkey is one of the hardest to obtain. Connecticut, but there is no conclusive proof of that. mouth and his jaw bobbles. Paddy and the Pig J. & E. Stevens Excellent Plus Condition Connecticut - Circa 1880’s $7200 Irish immigrants to the United States began to arrive in droves in the 1850’s after the potato famine. They were scorned by genteel American society; therefore, they were often the targets of unfortunate bigoted humor. Lion and Two Monkeys Kyser & Rex Company Pristine Condition Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Circa 1883 $5200 To operate the bank, place a coin in the large monkey’s palm and then press the lever. Then, watch as the monkeys tip forward and courageously stare down the lion. Your penny slides directly into his open mouth. PAGE 6 Mechanical Banks An Elephant Having a Smoke Tabby Bank Polychromed Bronze Figural Still Bank Pristine Condition Unknown Manufacturer Near Mint and Germany - Circa 1895 - 6” tall $12,500 Shown in Selchow & Righter Bright Condition Christmas Catalog 1886 $11,500 Assigning human attributes to an otherwise untamed wild Place a coin in the slot in the cat’s back and the animal became an obsession with some German toy makers. baby chick’s head moves. This is one of the finest In this instance , we find an elegantly dressed industrialist known examples of the bank. relaxing with a favorite cigar after a long day at the office. Light of Asia Elephant and Three Clowns Elephant with Tusks on Wheels Made by J. & E. Stevens Excellent Plus J. & E. Stevens Company Near Mint and Probably Kyser & Rex Pristine Condition Cromwell, Connecticut - Condition Cromwell, Connecticut. - Bright Condition Philadelphia - (Wheels and Base Circa 1880’s $6,500 Circa 1890 $14,500 Circa 1890 Restored) $7,500 Zoological interest in exotic animals rose To operate the bank, place a coin between This is an exceedingly scarce toy bank. sharply in the United States in the late 19th the rings held by the clown on the left. Then, Fewer than twenty specimens are known. century. To satisfy the growing demand for pull the legs back of the clown spinning the This docile elephant is presented with children’s toys based on these creatures, large ball on the flat bottoms of his feet. The his precious tusks. He nods his head manufacturers often chose the stately elephant’s trunk swings, grazing the coin, encouragingly when you deposit coins thru pachyderm for imagery. tipping it into the bank slot. One of the best the slot in his back. known examples of this bank. PAGE 7 Mechanical Banks Guessing Bank • Scarce Female Figure • Cast Iron and White Metal Designed by Edward McLoughlin New York City - Circa 1890 Near Mint Condition $145,000 This bank was discovered shortly after World War II by renowned pioneering collectors Covert and Gertrude Hegarty. To date, it remains the only known specimen of this magnificently detailed bank to ever be discovered. Like its counterpart, the Guessing Bank - Male Figure, it appears to also function as a gambling device. It assuredly promises to pay any wagerer “five for one” if they correctly “call the number”.