THE PITTSBURGH PRESS - Sunday, December 16, 1945, page 11
MINSTREL SHOW. The end man in this lineup of
banks is the polite
one in the bunch. All of them hold coins in their right hand until
a lever is pressed. Then their eyes roll and they swallow the
money. The fellow on the end, however, tips his hat in thanks.
Toy Banks Make It Fun To Save
H. W. Griffith's
six-weeks-old son should have little trouble saving money when he gets a few
years older. His father has a collection of 200 mechanical banks combining the
quality off a fascinating toy with an incentive for thriftiness. Back in 1929
Mr. Griffith of 189 Castle Shannon Rd., Mt. Lebanon, noticed three mechanical
banks on display in New York. He enjoyed watching them operate and decided to
collect them.
Since that time he has traced patents, visited numerous
antique shops, attended auctions and dealt with "pickers" whose
business is to scour the country for antiques. Today Mr Griffith owns all but 20
of the 220 types of mechanical banks. It took him three years of spare time
searching to locate and buy his "Old Woman in the Shoe" bank. The
banks are made of cast iron and are period pieces made between 1869 and 1905.
THE BANKER. Mr. Griffith returns one of his 200
banks to the shelves.
All of them are are cast iron and were made in foundries from wooden
models. Nearly all the banks were made in the United States, but a few
come from England, Canada or Germany.
A RARE FIND. Mr. Griffith found the "Woman
in the Shoe" in
Leominster, Mass., after trying to trace it for three years.
It had been sold by the original owner to an auto dealer.
When Mr. Griffith found it, the bank was being used as a doorstop.
DOG BITES PENNY. The two pictures show how a penny is
swallowed by the bulldog bank. The penny is placed in the
man's hand. The bank is wound up, the dog leaps from his
crouch, snatches the penny and sits back down as the
coin drops into the bank.
THRIFTY ANIMALS. The rooster, rabbit, frog and elephant already have
their money. But the bull and bear (representing Wall Street) are still
hoping because, when the penny is placed on the pendulum and the
button is pressed, the penny may fall into the "bear market" or into
the "bull market." It's a toss-up.
HISTORICAL BANKS. This group represents events of history starting with
the Bible story of Jonah and progressing to Columbus, a cannon of the
Spanish-American War, "Boss" Tweed and Teddy Roosevelt shooting a bear
with a penny as a bullet. Uncle Sam with his money bag stands over them all.
