Model T Service Station Collectible Authentic Foundry Die Cast Iron Mechanical Bank Design Toscano

The Model T (known as the Tin Lizzie or Fabulous Flivver) is in for another repair as depicted by this collectible mechanical coin bank. The first Model T was built on September 27, 1908 in Detroit, Michigan by Henry Ford and was the first automobile mass-produced with completely interchangeable parts marketed to the middle class. Our mechanical coin bank features a service attendant giving full service, changing the tires and oil. Your penny is placed in the attendant’s oil pan and when a lever on the side is pressed down, the coin passes through a slot and disappears into the floor below. Originally manufactured in Detroit by JE Stevens, our mechanical replica antique coin bank is cast in foundry iron and authentically hand painted. Our Design Toscano finely detailed replica coin bank makes a clever mechanical bank gift and a charming automotive collectible. 7″Wx4″Dx7″H. 6 lbs. Design Toscano Collectors’ Die-Cast Iron Mechanical Coin Banks Cast Iron banks have long been treasured collectibles, popular in Renassance Europe and even found among the tombs of ancient civilizations. In the US, mechanical banks became a household staple as 18th-century parents sought to reinforce Benjamin Franklin’s aphorism: “A penny saved is a penny earned.” After the Civil War, toy mechanical cast-iron models were produced en masse until about 1930. Operating with the drop of a coin or the push of a lever, these clever banks, produced in hundreds of different themes, sizes and personalities, were at once functional, decorative, and a delight to the eye. “Still banks”-so called to differentiate them from banks with mechanical parts-have also long been collectors’ favorites. Because sought-after mechanical coin banks can bring more than $50K at auction, collectors have turned to fine replicas as a more affordable way to satisfy a love for these witty, novelty, cast-iron replica works. In fact, reports indicate that even replicas are growing in value! Design Toscano offers a plethora of novelty mechanical banks to launch or supplement a proud collection.