Known as ‘Baby on a Sled’ or ‘Coasting Bank,’ this contraption looks more like a toy than a place to store coins.
The mechanical bank has been an object of myth among collectors since a dealer in 1955 found it featured in an 1884 ad. The ad displayed the manufacturer as J. & E. Stevens, and had the bank listed at 95 cents.
The myth came to light in 2013 when a woman found one of these banks in an attic in Scotland. She took it to an appraiser who determined it could be one of a kind. The bank was sold at auction in November for $266,500.
Courtesy of Kovels
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