Up for auction is this Vintage Chrome
Oval Still Bank, issued by Charter #5390, “The First National Bank of Spring
Valley, New York”. The bank was
Chartered on June 2, 1900. This Advertising Still Bank was manufactured between the 1915 –
1925. The number stamped on the top of
the bank; #308, was the account number of the person who was originally LENT this bank to use.
Because the bank kept the key to
promote home savings, it is rare to see one of these Advertising Still Banks
with a key.
This Advertising Still Bank was
manufactured by Automatic Recording Safe Company, of Chicago, Illinois. The Automatic Recording Safe Company was a very
popular and collectible Still Bank Manufacturer. It utilized a very simplistic compact two
piece design, and made it easy for Bank Tellers to count, stack, record and
deposit coinage into customer accounts quickly.
Its oval design required minimal space to count and separate coinage
into 6 distinct compartments, which included one compartment each for Cents, Nickels,
Dimes, Quarters, Halves and Currency. Deposited coins would stack neatly with the
help of its internal spider form jig.
There were small die-cut circle slots (windows) with hash marks, so the
depositor could see exactly how much money was in the bank, before handing it
to the Bank Teller for deposit. The only
case this did not apply to, was the currency slot. This particular bank utilized the following
U.S. Patents: #758340 – April 26, 1904,
#793779 – July 4, 1905, #990534 & 990535 – April 25, 1911 and #1073847 – September
23, 1913. Automatic Recording Safe
Company had a number of different designs and models. This particular one is known as “The Savings
Teller”.
Automatic Recording Safe Company were manufacturers of very collectible Advertising Still banks. This bank weighs just under 9 ounces, and its outer shell is built with heavy gauge chromed plated non magnetic spring steel. The inner spider form jig is made of steel. The base of the spider jig has an aluminum cap on it to give it a more aesthetic look. This bank also has a design to prevent the coins from being removed once deposited through each coin slot.
This Home Advertising Bank has much
of its original chrome finish remaining.
There are some light scratches on the surface of the Bank, as well as
the chrome name plate at the top of the bank. The side of the Bank that holds Currency &
Cents has some base metal showing thru the chrome. This unit measures 3-13/16 inches in length x 1-13/16
in width at its widest point x 2-3/8 inches tall, from the bottom base to
the top of the rivets that hold the name plate on. The key and lock work very well. If this were a coin, I would grade it as a
Very Fine. Just like a rare coin, I
choose not to try to clean this piece up, for fear of ruining its
originality. The new owner can do so if
they wish.
This Advertising Still Bank would
make a fine addition to any New York National Banknote collection! This bank is located in Rockland County, so
it should appeal to people collecting Banknotes and other Banking Collectibles
from that and the surrounding counties. Don’t
let this incredible item get away!
I will ship this item via USPS
Parcel Post with tracking in the United States.
New Jersey Residents only must add
6.625% Sales Tax.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you need better photos of the item, Bob [201] 843 1450 EBAY: Vette70
Please take a moment to look at my
many other Ebay listings.
Good Luck & Happy Hunting!