Temporary display (July-August 2008) at the Sutliff Museum, Warren, Ohio

Operated by the Warren Library Association ■ Free and open to the public

Home Page

Trumbull County and the Underground Railroad

In the display case...
Antique coin banks
(through August)

Last updated:
July 21, 2008

Number of 2008 visits:
Hit Counter

Display case, July-August 2008
Antique coin banks

		The penny banks for collecting coins that are on display at the Sutliff Museum in July and August are not piggy banks, nor are they mechanical banks. They are still banks collected over many years by a banker’s wife. The collection includes many certain to please a child -- cats, dogs, lions and elephants -- and also plenty to interest adults. There are political figures, sports motifs, vintage advertising pieces and even a replica of the Goodyear Zeppelin airship dock from Akron, Ohio. Most of the banks in this display are made of cast iron, which is the predominant material used in Europe and America since the late 1800s, when the technique for casting iron was perfected. In ancient times, gourds were used for safely keeping coins, and down through history banks have been made of wood and pottery. Stoneware and redware banks made by early American potters are highly prized today. At least 300 different designs of banks are identified in books devoted to the subject. Serious collectors find that prices now can range from under $100 to thousands of dollars. Value aside, this display is a whimsical view of how Americans have saved their coins against that proverbial “rainy day.”

		Visit the Sutliff Museum! Return to the home page for details.