Marz February Premier Toy Auction
Lot 315:
We have for you this cast iron “Boy on Trapeze, ” or “French’s Automatic Toy Bank, ” mechanical bank manufactured by J. Barton Smith Co. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. J. Barton Smith made only a couple of banks, including this one and a vault-style bank. This bank works by placing a coin in the boy’s hat, which makes the boy tip forward to drop the coin into the base. The premise was that each different coin would make the boy spin a certain number of times based on the weight of the coin. For example, he was supposed to revolve once for a penny, twice for a nickel, three times for a quarter, and six times for a half dollar. This was based on the weight of the coins when the bank was made in the late 1800s. When coin weights changed, the revolutions also changed, leading people to bend the trapeze bar in attempts to remedy this, often breaking the bar or the posts holding it. The boy does make different revolutions based on coin size, and it is very amusing to watch him perform for his wages. The japanning on this Art Nouveau-style base is beautiful, and overall, this is a pretty awesome bank. This is approximately 5” L x 5” W at the base and 9” H.
Condition: GOOD
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