Those Beautiful Mechanical Banks from Gray's Auctioneers

Saturday, December 6, 2014
Overcast, drizzling, and warm

Those Beautiful Mechanical Banks

from Gray's Auctioneers

  Earlier this week, I had contacted Gray's Auctioneer's, and later given the go-ahead to write an introductory post about them., which I did yesterday.  Their website is superbly designed to allow readers to easily migrate through their site, and to look at their images against a whitened background (which is what I have been doing for the last 5 months or so.  However, it's their excellent photography and framing of their images that caught my eye.  For yesterday's post on Gray's Auctioneers, I decided to present just 1 item that will be auctioned on December 10, 2014 starting @ 07:00 A.M. Their website gave me some motivation to present their images as I had found them.

  However, I couldn't simply leave all  the rest of the magnificent photography of the mechanical banks. I had to add another post for today.  However, once again, I'm minimizing the post to only 2 items. Their photography is excellent and large in size. I didn't want to present my usual 10 images, and have you scroll and scroll and scroll down. Better still,if you go to their website and look at each image, they have a slide show that changes the images of an item (usually from 6-8) every 3-5 descends or so.

Please click here to visit this fine American auction company

Description

A Cast Iron Cat and Mouse (Cat Balancing) Mechanical Bank Manufactured by J. & E. Stevens Co., ca. 1891, Place a coin in front of the mouse over the cat. Press the lever and as the coin disappears into the bank, the kitten appears holding the mouse and ball. 

Dimensions: height x width x depth:

 11 3/4"  x  5 1/2" x   4"

298 mm x 140  mm x 102  mm  

Provenance: The Collection of Mr. James N. Seidelle*

*Description Courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers

Yesterday  I spoke to  the representative of Gray's Auctioneers yesterday, Ms. Flannery Marley.

In our conversation, Flannery mentioned that they examine and test their items going to auction to see if they work. This is great, because when you read the written description,you can understand what the mechanics are for receiving a coin and depositing it into the "vault".

It's hard to imagine how popular these mechanical banks were way back and so long ago, Yet even today, they're still very popular. I purchased a "reproduction" in, of all places a hardware store, which is ironic, because many of the original cast iron toy makers started out making cast iron metal hardware (food knobs, door hinges, door locks).

For these great photographs, I can now understand when antique toy experts say tha tit's the fine detail  that can't be reproduced very well in today's reproductions or even the "fakes" from 100 years ago. Both the extremely fine sand used in the casting process, and the superb craftsmanship of the workers certainly illustrates how beautiful these banks were made.

You'll definitely  have  to look at these photos in Blogger's slide mode and in high magnification. 

What is showing in the middle photo below is a curled-up mouse that the cat caught after the coin was deposited into the bank, and a spring was released.

A Cast Iron Eagle and Eaglets Mechanical Bank Manufactured by J. & E. Stevens Co., ca. 1883, Place a coin in the eagle's beak and press the lever. The eagle leans forward as if to feed the eaglets. The eaglets rise up as if to eat and a bellows is activated to simulate the chirping eaglets. The coin is simultaneously deposited into the nest and falls into the receptacle below. 

Dimensions: height x width x depth

 6" x 8" x 4"

152  mm x 203  mm  x  102  mm 

Provenance: The Collection of Mr. James N. Seidelle. *

• Description Courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers

The item below is smaller than the bank above. It was probably less-costly to purchase than the one above, so it's currently not as high-price at the set starting bid for auction. But I absolutely had to select this one. Once again the texture of the features on the mother bird is exceptional. BUt what I also like is the mechanics of the bank. 

What's so amazing about these toy banks, is that all of the major manufacturers of cast iron products at the time also manufactured these banks. There's also an American association just for mechanical banks! What';s even more fascinating is how many different designs and mechanics that were created to deposit counts into the banks.

The description doesn't say, but I'm 99% sure that these banks were hand painted. 

Just look at the plumage of this  cast iron bird!

Above is a great photo of one of the baby bird's waiting to be fed. 

I like those bulging eyes! Below is the patent date registered on 

January 23, 1883 - almost 132 years ago!

You'll have to visit the Gray's Auctioneers website or  Liveauctioneers

 to see the fine collection and the excellent photography.

Thnaks for dropping by, and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com