Circa 1888 Dark Town Battery Mechanical Baseball Bank

Sold For:

$1,740

Year:

1888

Auction:

2020 Spring

Lot #:

1748

Category:

Pre-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

This nineteenth-century painted cast-iron bank, which features a figural pitcher, batter, and catcher, set above the rectangular coin-vault base, is universally recognized as a classic by both nineteenth-century baseball and mechanical-bank collectors. Each of the "players" has a moving head and arms. The pitcher's arm swings back and, when a button is pushed, pitches a coin into the trapdoor on the catcher's stomach while the batter swings and misses. Manufactured by the J & E Stevens Company of Cromwell, Connecticut, the Dark Town Battery bank is the only nineteenth-century bank designed with a baseball theme, and is also the only mechanical bank of the era to have three figures, each with moving parts, as elements in its mechanical action. (Note: There are reproductions of this bank, issued in the 1950s and 1960s by The Book of Knowledge, featuring white players as opposed to African American players, and titled "Home Town Battery" as opposed to "Dark Town Battery." This example, of course, is a nineteenth-century original.) Extremely desirable bank highly regarded by baseball, Americana, and mechanical-bank collectors alike. The bank displays wear commensurate with its age and former use, including moderate paint loss. In perfect working order and complete with its metal stopper. In Very Good to Excellent condition overall. 9.5 x 2.75 x 7 inches. Reserve $300. Estimate (open).