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Mechanical Bank
Mechanical Bank

Cast iron: painted
American, circa 1877
Gift of the Estate of Helen E. Kynock, 76.51.5

Iron factories produced cast iron toys after the boom of the Civil War in an effort to keep their foundries open. Novelty cast iron mechanical banks featured elements that would transport the coin into the bank's slot opening. This bank, inscribed in the ground "Creedmore Bank 1877," features a marksman. The coin fits into the gun and when the marksman's foot is depressed his head recoils back and the coin is shot into the target slot on the tree trunk.

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