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Cold Hard Cash

trange, but I don’t remember ever owning a piggy bank. What I of our local five and ten when I
did have growing up was a plastic bassett hound bank, which I’ve was a kid” button big-time. Two,
Ssince learned was made by Union Products and was around 15 it was made in Japan, of tinplate,
inches in length. You put the coins in a slot on the dog’s back, and once and it’s impossible to have too
that puppy was even half-full, you’d think twice about trying to pick it many Japanese tin toys when
up or even moving it. you’re me. It’s just two and a half
Smaller banks make a lot more sense hernia-wise. Over the last few inches tall but it’s full of charm …
years, I have, quite unintentionally, put together a modest collection of the slogan on the front, “A penny
coin banks – banks that are miniature replicas of everyday objects. Not saved is a penny earned,” has
unlike, yes, toys. always puzzled me a little (I think
It began in Seattle about Ben Franklin said it originally),
four years ago when I found but at least it encourages saving.
a “radio bank” at Gasoline The Emerson television bank
Alley, a vintage toy shop appeared on the table of my friend
that I try to hit when I’m Ben Kriner at last year’s Allentown
out there on business. It toy show, which didn’t surprise
jumped out at me because I me. Ben’s a collector of plastic Emerson television bank
love old-time radio and toys, and he often comes up with with original box.
because the thing has the offbeat and the unexpected,
vaguely Art Deco lines, and always in great original condition. Like the radio bank, this one
which always scores points sports Art Deco-ish lines and is a model of Emerson’s model 648
with me. It’s a little less Ultrawave television, which was introduced around 1950. It was used
than 4 inches wide, and the as a promotional giveaway to stimulate sales of the Ultrawave. The coin
coin slot is on the back. The radio bank was made by Reliable slot is on the top, and the front has an on-off-volume knob and a knob
in Canada, but examples often turn
Twisting the large dial on up with the Ideal logo. for changing channels. The box is great fun, with a scene of a family
the front pops it out, allow- gathered around the TV, along with an arrow pointing to the picture
ing easy removal of your cash. Mine was made by Reliable of Canada, of the clown. The text with the arrow says, “Insert your favorite picture
which also made a number of truly cool plastic toys. I’ve also seen a ver- here.” Seems like a picture of Ed Sullivan or Sid Caesar would have
sion made by American toy giant Ideal. been a better choice to help sell televisions.
The next one was a no-brainer for me for two reasons when I Old typewriters tend to be
spotted it in an antique mall during the pandemic. One, it’s in perfect on my radar screen because
condition in the original, unopened bag, which pushes my “toy section one of my daughters loves the
things, but this is the first I’ve
seen that’s even smaller than
a portable. It’s four inches
wide and the slot is on top,
and it was made in the U.S.
by Ardee. The front top of
the typewriter has the words,
“My own typewriter bank,”
so these may have been
intended as a promotional My own typewriter bank.
giveaway for banks (the
brick-and-mortar type).
In terms of cost, none of these little gems will … uh, break the bank.
With the exception of the radio bank, for which I paid $60 (probably
twice what it’s worth but I didn’t care because it’s a radio), all of these
cost me from $10 (book bank) to around $30 (the television).
Small change.

Bags of charm: the Made in Japan The book bank comes with Douglas R. Kelly is the editor of Marine Technology magazine. His byline has
tin book bank. instructions for retrieving appeared in Antiques Roadshow Insider; Back Issue; Diecast Collector; RetroFan;
your funds. and Buildings magazines.

42 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles