Classic Antique J E Stevens \"William Tell\" Mechanical Cast Iron Bank Pat 1896 For Sale

Classic Antique Cast Iron J. E. Stevens \"William Tell\" Model Mechanical BankPatented June 23, 1896,Approx: 6.75\" H x 10.5\" L x 3.75\" Depth, 2 lbs, 12 ounce
Long Time Collector Favorite! \"William Tell Bank\" by J. E. Stevens Company patented 1896 (130 years ago).
All original with plenty of original paint & some aged paint wear as well. Functions nicely as shown in the video. Features William Tell (the shooter) with a spring loaded cross bow. To set the mechanism, you pull the triangle shaped coin lever back on the bow and it resets the action. William Tell\'s head lowers into aiming position and lifts his foot (the trigger). Once loaded, you press the shooter\'s (William) foot, thus launching the coin & knocking the apple off of the child\'s head. The apple simply resets by moving the child\'s arm back down, raising the apple. Inside the castle is a bell which adds noise to the action. This simple, yet fun action made it a very popular bank. We only fired a few times & for video. We used a nickel & penny and both worked well. This is missing the bottom trap cover, but replacements can be found online or easily fashioned.
We did not attempt to clean the bank, just gave it a general wipe down and dusting. The paint has darkened a bit over time so perhaps it could clean up a little brighter, but we left it as we found it. While the coin trap door is missing the bank itself is pretty solid. The apple is complete with its stem (sometimes missing) and the interior bell is still in place. The spring load is solid and foot lever works as designed. These models have sold from $300 to $9000+ over the years, depending on condition with most in the under $1,500 range. We priced ours less due to darkening of paint and general wear, but ones similar in condition to ours (or worse) have sold far above $500 over the years, including one over $520 weeks ago.
This bank was designed by Russell Frisbie & manufactured by J. E. Stevens for several years. Has a very strong patent date and paint on the bottom.
Sellers Tip: We fired this a few times with a nickel and penny, but we usually suggest limited use of these really old mechanical banks. We would not suggest using quarters or heavier coins as we noticed many of these \"Tell\" banks have broken off apples, apple stems, damaged bells or other. I would suggest using a penny or dime if you are to use it, to help protect the item for longevity. Despite some softer markets in the antique world today, the value on these classic mechanical banks by Stevens and other makers have continued to grow and you want to protect your investment.
Please Read: See our response & Buy with confidence. We ship with extreme care and all items are fully insured! We often take from 30-90 minutes packing more delicate & odd sized items to make sure your treasure is protected. We also photograph most items above $100 while packing in case a shipper were to ever damage an item (only one time in over 2,000 US shipped sales). For this reason, if an item is ever damaged, it will be the Buyer\'s responsibility to file a claim with the shipping service and we can provide photos from packing to assist Buyers. The process is not difficult, but the timing of such does not allow adequate time for the item to be returned to us and then for us to proceed with a claim (chain of custody questions can arise as well on returned items due to double shipping and handling so it is just easier for Buyers). So again, as noted in listing, we do not offer returns. Sales tax is charged according to your state or country\'s regulations. Of course, there is free local pick up and we can meet to assist if you are near Indianapolis or driving through. We do this often.
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