Happy Laughing Metal Clown Mechanical Bank
The bank operates by first placing a coin in the clown's hand. A lever behind of the clown's collar is then pressed down, the clown lifts his hand, and drops the coin into the clown's mouth. The Metal Cast Iron Clown Bank is in an actuality a portrait of George L. Fox - America's first great white face clown character Humpty Dumpty created in 1867. Fox gave 1128 performances on Broadway in this role and was the most highly paid actor of his time - unfortunately he was removed from the stage during his last performance and taken to an insane asylum dying three years later - it was rumored he went insane due to poisoning from his lead based face make up.
Cast iron mechanical banks have been a collectors item since the mid-19th century. They were originally designed to promote saving among children. To make these banks appealing to kids, they were cleverly designed, often depicting historical, legendary or everyday events. Each bank performs a stunt or an action. All that was needed was for a coin to be dropped into a slot, and the lever to be pulled. The banks quickly caught on with children and adults alike and soon became a sought-after collector's item.
This bank is in great shape. It has been in our family since 1981.
A fun way to save!
Thanks for looking and good luck!
EBay Auction #
Ends:
