Two "Spise A Mule" Mechanical Banks

Wednesday, February 7, 2018
-8C 17.4 F

Two "Spise A Mule" Mechanical Banks

Please click here to visit Bertoia Auctions on Liveauctioneers

Operation: Place a coin in the Jockey's mouth. Press the lever underneath the mule, and the mule kicks forward, the jockey falls over the mules head, and the coin is deposited into the base.

Manufactured by the J. & E. Stevens Company (USA) on April 27, 1897.

Sold for  $ 11,000.00 US dollars on March 25, 2011

Operation: Insert a coin and press the lever. The mule spins around and kicks the boy 

backwards, and the coin is deposited into the base.

Manufactured by the J. & E. Stevens Company.

Patented on April 22, 2879.

Sold for $ 9500.00 US dollars on March 25, 2011

P

the base.

Both of these mechanical banks sold at high prices due their excellent condition.

Lesser-quality versions of these mechanical banks sold for less. 

Always beware that there are modern-era versions (1950's-now) that are "reproductions based on the original toy designs. Also, always go to a reputable seller or auctioneer to ensure that you are purchasing "the real McCoy" (the real thing).

Thanks for dropping by,

and have a great part of the day or night.

Stacey Bindman

Toysearcher@gmail.com

One Swan Leads to Another

Sunday, September 14, 2014
          Sunny, clear skies, and cold

One Swan Leads to Another

   I discovered a nice toy while whiles searching on Liveauctioneers. The toy was a nice cast iron

 J. & E. Stevens pull toy of a swan pulling a chariot, with a young girl laying in the shell. I searched for more of these, and found "other" different swan toys. I then decided to write about the 3 toys, rather than elaborate on the first one, whereby I would have searched for more past auctions of the same toy,but with different photographs. I do this because sometimes the same item up for action will be photographed in different ways by the same auctioneers. In this way,I can present a better view of the toy.

Please click here to visit this exceptional American toy auctioneer

The J. & E. Stevens pill toy below is certainly a most  beautiful toy. There would have been a nice ribbon joining the swan to the young girl in the shell.  The fine detail on the swan is exquisite.

As you can  see, Bertoia Auction took painstaking care to present all of the nice features of this toy.

Of course, when the original box accompanies the original toy, an added value automatically results.

Henry was a cartoon character created by Carl Anderson in 1932.

He almost never talked in the newspaper cartoon strip, and the actual history and popularity of the comic character is very interesting. If you do a search on your browser or go to Wikipedia and type in "Henry cartoon character" you will find a very readable and interesting story behind the cartoon.

Below is Gunthermann's entry into the realm of swan toys. It's also a pull toy like the J. & E. Stevens toy. It had a beautiful design, and as the toy is pulled, the wings move and flap.

Thanks for dropping by to visit,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com