"Always Did 'Spise a Mule," another late nineteenth-century mechanical bank that portrays an African-American boy sitting on a bench and a mule facing him. Just below the bench is a slot for a coin. When the player pushes a lever near the mules hing legs, the mule bucks and whirls around which also at the same time releases the lever on the bench and the boy and the bench topple backwards -- of course placing the coin right into the coin slot which is right below the bench -- works everytime.
This bank has a patent date of Aprill 22, 1879 embedded on the underside of the base, which is also the date on the base of another boy and mule bank, which we also have on our web site. The coin slot is has a "pd Feb 2 1875". I have seen other banks of this same type with a patent date of April 27, 1897 which obviously were made later.
This bank is in excellent condition with regard to the moving parts, the boy, the mule and the base. The cap for the bottom of the bank is illustrated in a photo.
The paint has moderate wear and I would rate it a 7 of 10. It doesn't appear this bank has ever been repainted or touched up, which I have noted is the case on a number of these banks that are offered. The paint on the boy is a 9, the green grass is about an 8 while the red on the base is proably a 7. The saddle cloth on the mule is a 5. The buyer can determine the authenticity of this bank and if not satisfied return the bank to us for a full refund.
The bank measures 10 inches in width, 6 inches in height and 3 inches deep. The bank weighs 3 pounds.
As mentioned above these banks were reproduced again around 1897 up through the early 1900's.
To order click on the "add to cart" logo which is next to the photo of the item. Then fill out the required information including shipping address and home address. If you wish to add a "special note" a box is provided for that information in the first section of the shopping card. The shopping cart is of course a secure site.
For additional information or to place an order for this item, please feel free to email us at AntiqueStore@gmail.com or call (916) 446-1122.
Antique & Collectibles Marketplace
Contact: Ronald Curtis or Paulette Volz
501 NORTH 10th Street
Sacramento, California 95811 USA
Phone: (916) 446-1122
AntiqueStore@gmail.com
https://tace.com/vendors/antiquestore.html.
