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Mechanical banks function as both a toy and a useful, even educational, device. Deposit a coin and a figure dances or jumps into the air, an animal swallows the coin, a flag is raised or another action is performed. They entertain children and encourage them to save money.
Novelty banks rewarded chidlren with a little show for saving their coins. This one let you watch the bank grow along with your savings. (Kovels.com)
Antique mechanical banks, particularly the cast-iron examples made in the 1800s, now sell for impressive prices. Later mechanical banks can sell well, too.
The lithographed tin “Watch Me Grow” bank in the photo was made in the 1940s by General Metal in Canada and sold for $615 Canadian (about $459 U.S. currency) at a sale by Jon Dunford, Miller & Miller Auctions, LTD. It is shaped like a cylinder and decorated to look like a figure of a man in a colorful suit holding a sign saying, “Watch Me Grow TALL with Coins Large & Small.” The coin slot is on top of the man’s hat. The figure’s “legs” are hidden inside the cylinder. A spring inside the bank causes the cylinder to rise when coins are dropped in, appearing to lengthen the “legs” and make the figure grow taller.
Q: I inherited a huge amount of jewelry from a relative. I don’t know what to do next. Most seem costume (not sure), but I would like to hold a sale or auction. What do I do and how?
A: Look for marks on the back of the jewelry, then search Kovels.com and other online sites for information about the makers. Check “sold” prices on eBay and liveauctioneers.com, and “asking” prices on other sites, to see what similar jewelry sells for. If you think you have fine jewelry made with real gold or precious stones, take it to a jeweler for an opinion on authenticity and value, and perhaps a sale. Contact an auction house that sells jewelry. If they sell jewelry, they also buy it. Go to flea markets to see what costume jewelry sells for. If you plan to hold an online sale or auction, include a clear photo, size, material, maker, any interesting history and a good title that includes keywords to attract buyers’ attention. If you decide to sell the jewelry yourself, you must charge sales tax. It’s a lot of work but good jewelry sells for fair prices.
TIP: Set your sundial at noon, June 15. Place it so the shadow falls on the 12.
Current Prices
Kitchen, churn, butter, wooden stave construction, four horizontal bands, old yellow paint, round, tapered, 1800s, 21 inches, $225.
Quilt, applique, 15 floral wreaths, each different, notched and vine borders, white ground, yellow backing, early 20th century, 88 x 84 inches, $450.
Toy, elephant, ride-on, blond mohair, tusks, floppy ears, growler, on frame with four wheels, Steiff, button in ear, 36 x 43 inches, $525.
Barber pole, wood, turned, painted, white with blue and red diagonal stripes, swollen cylinder form, ball ends, early 20th century, 19 1/2 inches, $685.
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