National Museum of Play Online Collections

Trick Dog Bank

mechanical bank

ca. 1930

Cast-iron mechanical banks, a uniquely American invention, represent a perfect combination of readily available materials, low-cost labor, mass-production processes, and ingenious toy design. After the American Civil War ended in the 1860s, cast-iron foundries turned to the production of peace-time goods. Many manufactured cast-iron toys as a sideline to making shovels, rakes, stoves, tools, and other consumer products. Adding a mechanical action to savings banks encouraged children (eager to see the banks' motions again and again) to save more of their coins (or so their parents hoped).

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