RARE CAST-IRON MAMA KATZENJAMMER MECHANICAL BANK.

RARE CAST-IRON MAMA KATZENJAMMER MECHANICAL BANK. Manufactured in the earlier part of the 20th century, this extremely rare and highly sought-after comic character bank was produced by the Kenton firm of Kenton, Ohio. This is the only cast-iron comic character bank produced by any firm during this time or earlier. Amusing yet quite simple in nature, Mama Katzenjammer standing with Hans and Fritz on either side, when a coin is placed in the slot, her eyes roll up into her head. Possibly she has just heard of another one of the kids’ antics? A difficult bank to find for one’s collection, especially with an abundance of original paint. Normally this bank, for some reason, tends to have excessive paint loss. Perhaps most interesting and important is the history/provenance that accompanies this family-owned, fresh to the market mechanical bank! “It started with my Grandparents Lewis. They met and were married in a very small town in northern California. This was a gold mining town and my grandfather was a miner. My grandmother took food to the miners. Their first child was my uncle Clyde. This is probably where the Mama Katzenjammer bank entered the family. Clyde was born in 1904. Knowing that the bank was first on the market between 1905 and 1908, it may have been a present for him at an age when such things are interesting to a child. I’m told that the price of such a bank was between 75 cents and 85 cents at the time. Since my grandparents were subsistence livers, this was possibly a major gift for my Uncle Clyde. The years went by and I spent much of my summers with my grandparents, who by now had moved to another small northern California town. I was attracted to the Mama Katzenjammer bank because of the eyes flipping up and down as coins were dropped in. I spent hours redepositing the few coins in the bank. This went on for several years. When I was a young adult, Grandma knew that I liked the bank and decided to give it to me for Christmas. She mentioned this to my mother, saying she should paint it up a bit. My mother, who was knowledgeable about antiques, said, ‘No. That would not be a good idea.’ About 1979, my Uncle Clyde, the bank’s original owner, visited our family. He spotted the bank and commented on it. I said, ‘Oh, Clyde, I know this was yours. Grandma gave it to me, but do you want it back?’ He dismissed this, saying, ‘No.’ (He has no children to pass it on to.) Many years went by, during which most of my grandchildren played with the Mama Katz bank. Then, in 2009, my son Bill and his family came for a visit. Since I was in the process of eliminating the ‘stuff’ I had collected over the years, I asked the family to pick out anything they were interested in having. Son Bill chose the Mama Katzenjammer bank because of his childhood memories.” SIZE: 6-1/2″ h. CONDITION: Overall paint condition is very fine plus, with NO paint touch-up and/or repairs. Original coin trap present. 1-9815 (15,000-25,000)

Auction: Advertising, Toy & Doll - Spring 2010

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	3247	$16,100.00	RARE CAST-IRON MAMA KATZENJAMMER MECHANICAL BANK. Manufactured in the earlier part of the 20th century, this extremely rare and highly sought-after comic character bank was produced by the Kenton firm of Kenton, Ohio. This is the only cast-iron comic character bank produced by any firm during this time or earlier. Amusing yet quite simple in nature, Mama Katzenjammer standing with Hans and Fritz on either side, when a coin is placed in the slot, her eyes roll up into her head. Possibly she has just heard of another one of the kids’ antics? A difficult bank to find for one’s collection, especially with an abundance of original paint. Normally this bank, for some reason, tends to have excessive paint loss. Perhaps most interesting and important is the history/provenance that accompanies this family-owned, fresh to the market mechanical bank! “It started with my Grandparents Lewis. They met and were married in a very small town in northern California. This was a gold mining town and my grandfather was a miner. My grandmother took food to the miners. Their first child was my uncle Clyde. This is probably where the Mama Katzenjammer bank entered the family. Clyde was born in 1904. Knowing that the bank was first on the market between 1905 and 1908, it may have been a present for him at an age when such things are interesting to a child. I’m told that the price of such a bank was between 75 cents and 85 cents at the time. Since my grandparents were subsistence livers, this was possibly a major gift for my Uncle Clyde. The years went by and I spent much of my summers with my grandparents, who by now had moved to another small northern California town. I was attracted to the Mama Katzenjammer bank because of the eyes flipping up and down as coins were dropped in. I spent hours redepositing the few coins in the bank. This went on for several years. When I was a young adult, Grandma knew that I liked the bank and decided to give it to me for Christmas. She mentioned this to my mother, saying she should paint it up a bit. My mother, who was knowledgeable about antiques, said, ‘No. That would not be a good idea.’ About 1979, my Uncle Clyde, the bank’s original owner, visited our family. He spotted the bank and commented on it. I said, ‘Oh, Clyde, I know this was yours. Grandma gave it to me, but do you want it back?’ He dismissed this, saying, ‘No.’ (He has no children to pass it on to.) Many years went by, during which most of my grandchildren played with the Mama Katz bank. Then, in 2009, my son Bill and his family came for a visit. Since I was in the process of eliminating the ‘stuff’ I had collected over the years, I asked the family to pick out anything they were interested in having. Son Bill chose the Mama Katzenjammer bank because of his childhood memories.” SIZE: 6-1/2″ h. CONDITION: Overall paint condition is very fine plus, with NO paint touch-up and/or repairs. Original coin trap present. 1-9815 (15,000-25,000) Auction: Advertising, Toy & Doll - Spring 2010 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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