by Sy Schreckinger – ANTIQUE TOY WORLD Magazine –
SUBJECT this article, "Piano Bank" (Figure 1), incorporates two of the
most significant developments in the history of the automated musical
appliance, the Music Box and the Player Piano.
Over the centuries, self operating melodic apparatus such as the
music box has entertained and beguiled both young and old. Early
examples, however, were created by watch maker artisans and required a
great deal of time, effort and expertise. Such representatives were
extremely costly to produce, making them affordable to only the very
wealthy. It was not until the early twentieth century, and thanks to
Charles and Alice Reuge of Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, that a moderately
priced pin-drum, steel comb musical movement was utilized within a music
box. This ingenious development resulted in the creation of an automated
musical commodity affordable by the masses. The easily produced Reuge
musical movement eventually led to the manufacture of a plethora of
novelty items, toys and mechanical banks.
It was also during this period, i.e. 1905, that Mr. Edwin Voltey of
Detroit, Michigan, invented and manufactured the first automated piano.
Aptly entitled "Player Piano", it put to use a similar drum-type
mechanism to Reuge's music box; the differences were its larger size and
use of a perforated paper roll in place of steel comb. Its popularity
was contagious worldwide.
Mechanical bank designers and manufacturers, such as the E.M. Roche
Novelty Company of Newark, New Jersey, were ever mindful of popular
trends and exciting new subjects to incorporate into their line of
goods. It was sometime during the years 1900-1915 that this firm applied
for a patent and produced a player piano mechanical bank (Figure 1)
which employed a Reuge musical movement. The patent itself assumedly
covered both a still and mechanical version of "Piano Bank".
Unfortunately, to date, neither catalogs nor patent information has
surfaced to indicate the mechanical's inventor, manufacturer, or dates
of sale. However, the manufacturer has been identified by its name cast
in raised letters into the base of the bank (refer to Figure 2). The
assumption of date of production (circa 1900-1915) is based solely upon
the years in which both the music box and player piano enjoyed their
height of popularity.
Action of "Piano Bank" is appropriate to its subject. Initially, it
is necessary to wind the clockworks, music box mechanism. A coin is then
nudged into the appropriate slot atop the piano, seen in Figure 3. This
This causes activation of the musical movement, rendering one tune for
each coin deposit. Monies are recovered by opening the square
combination lock coin retainer, located at the back of the piano (Figure
"Piano Bank" is almost entirely brightly nickel plated. The
exception is its combination lock knob and the two pedals at the bottom
(front), which are of brass.
"Piano Mechanical Bank" is extremely rare (and costly), with less
than a handful of original, operational examples known. As previously
mentioned, "Piano Bank" was also produced as a non-mechanical still
bank, referring to the fact that, upon deposit of a coin, no music is
produced. Since this still bank version is much more common, it is far
less costly to purchase than its mechanical brethren.
Unfortunately, several years ago, an unscrupulous dealer created
"Piano Bank" mechanicals utilizing "Piano" still banks and installing
Swiss music box movements into their interiors. These bogus mechanical
banks are fairly easy to detect due to superfluous visible external
screw heads and features which are not evident on original examples.
Figures 3 and 4 represent sections of an "original" example "Piano"
mechanical bank. When contemplating a purchase, the top elevation shown
in Figure 3 and back seen in Figure 4 should entirely and precisely
correspond to these pictures. If not, the example being considered is,
more than likely, an altered "Piano" still bank.
"Piano Bank" is quite large and impressive in size (Height: 5-3/4
inches; Width: 8 inches; Depth: 4-1/2 inches). Despite its limited
action and monochromatic, nickel plated finish, "Piano Bank" is an
extremely rare, entertaining and significant asset to a mechanical bank
Acknowledgment: The fine example "Piano Mechanical Bank" (Figure 1)
is in the Kidd Toy Museum collection, Frank and Joyce Kidd Proprietors.