The James Gillespie Estate Soldiers & Cast Iron Toys Auction
J. & E. Stevens Co. manufactured this original cast iron "Arabian Safe" still savings bank circa 1882, complete with its matching cast iron quatrefoil-bow barrel key. The bank features a flared plinth base and stepped lid with diamond-lattice texturing, along with a deeply embossed top panel displaying a four-way symmetrical foliate arabesque pattern. The rear panel depicts a multi-tiered mosque structure flanked by minarets below a horizontal coin slot. The front-hinged door reads "ARABIAN SAFE" above a low-relief desert scene with a camel, palm trees, and a traditional tent encampment, while the side panels continue the Middle Eastern architectural motif with figures riding a donkey and camel past classical columns and stone ruins. It measures approximately 4" L x 4" W x 4.5" H.
Condition: VERY GOOD
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