The penny bank craze of the twentieth century began quietly enough. Here, a slotted pottery pig from Scotland. There, a grimacing human face made in Bennington, Vermont. In 1793, penny banks first appeared in America, along with the first large copper pennies. Those who mistrusted paper currency saved their "hard” money in vessels of pottery, glass, and tin. In the 1890s, "China Pig” with a slit in his back sold for a dime. Plump pigs and pennies went together like thrift and future success. To this day, these iconic examples of American folk art and vernacular design are prized additions to museum and personal collections throughout the country. Money in the Bank details a wide range of extraordinary still and mechanical banks acquired by Katherine Kierland Herberger, who initially discovered the pleasure and variety of toy banks as gifts for her son. Over 1,200 purchases later, she donated the collection to The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. All are pictured here in full color for the first time. Acclaimed art historian Karal Ann Marling contributes an essay to the book tracing the importance of banks in popular culture, and an introduction narrates Herberger's extensive collecting activities. Money in the Bank is a lavishly illustrated and remarkably comprehensive catalog that demonstrates the charm and whimsy, as well as the significance, of toy banks in America. Corine Wegener is assistant curator at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Karal Ann Marling is professor of American studies and art history at the University of Minnesota. Distributed for The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
| Money in the bank : the Katherine Kierland Herberger collection | 8 | |
| American "argyrothecology," or the art and commerce of the penny bank | 16 | |
| Catalogue of the Herberger collection | 34 | |
| Mechanical banks | 35 | |
| Still banks : iron | 89 | |
| Still banks : tin | 133 | |
| Still banks : other metals | 151 | |
| Still banks : wood and other organic media | 171 | |
| Still banks : ceramic | 185 | |
| Still banks : glass | 209 | |
| Still banks : plastic | 215 |
Henry_Berry
Posted January 22, 2009
All 1089 of Katherine Herberger's incomparable collection of antique banks--277 mechanical and 812 still--now in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts are catalogued with annotated color photos. The annotations cite name, manufacturer, date, size, and material of each bank, and also the Institute's accession number being with 2003, the year the large collection was donated. The mechanical banks take up one section, with the larger number of still banks divided according to the material they are made of--e. g., tin, iron, wood, ceramic. Within each section, the banks are arranged chronologically. There are a few from the late 1700s, and some unusual ones from recent years. But the majority are from the latter 1800s and early 1900s when such banks were made in numbers by competing banks and aimed to develop the habit of saving. Most were made in the U.S., but some are from China, Japan, England, Germany, and other countries. The variety and frequent ingenuity of the banks surpasses what anyone except the most experienced collectors would expect. The catalog with its informative introductory essays is required by any serious collector to get an idea of the scope of the field. While no prices are given for the innumerable banks of this museum collection, the knowledgeable, documented, reliable notes on the manufacturers, etc., are the sort of references collectors welcome.
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Overview
The penny bank craze of the twentieth century began quietly enough. Here, a slotted pottery pig from Scotland. There, a grimacing human face made in Bennington, Vermont. In 1793, penny banks first appeared in America, along with the first large copper pennies. Those who mistrusted paper currency saved their "hard” money in vessels of pottery, glass, and tin. In the 1890s, "China Pig” with a slit in his back sold for a dime. Plump pigs and pennies went together like thrift and future success. To this day, these ...