Vintage Shepard Hardware Co. Punch And Judy Cast Iron Mechanical Bank For Sale

Shepard Hardware Co.\'s Punch and Judy CI mechanical bank.Operates by pulling the top lever, loading the mechanics then placing the coin into Judy\'s frying pan and pressing the lower lever projecting the coin into the bank while punch swings the bat.
Working and in very good condition. No chips or breaks.A little over one-hundred and fifty years ago, those characters we recognize as Punch and Judy were immortalized by the London artist, George Cruikshank. His inspiration was a puppet show created by Piccini, a 19th-century puppeteer.
The Punch and Judy theme can be traced to early Greek theatre wherein the zany antics of Punch and Judy were acted out on stage, by live actors. Its puppet theatre origin was with the Italian puppeteer, Pulcinello. He is credited with bringing these two characters to seventeenth-century England. From the onset, the enthusiasm with which Punch and Judy were received by the children of England made it apparent that they were here to stay.
Seizing upon the opportunity to create a toy bank with such appealing subject matter as to guarantee almost instant success, both Peter Adams, Jr. and Charles G. Shepard, of Buffalo, New York, designed and patented the \"Punch and Judy\" mechanical bank. On July 15, 1884, they were granted Patent.A subsequent Patentwas granted to Adams and Shepard on July 22, 1884, which changed and protected only the external design of the bank (the way it was finally manufactured),
The base plate underneath the bank designates its two American patent dates and an English registry number. Stated, in raised letters, is the following: \"BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S.A. PAID IN U.S. JULY 15, \'84 AND JULY 22, \'84 RD IN ENGLAND NO. 10423.\" When one considers the popularity of Punch and Judy in 19th century England, it is understood why Shepard might have wanted to protect the bank both here and abroad.
The final production bank was manufactured and sold by the Shepard Hardware Co. of Buffalo, New York.
All of the banks produced by the Shepard Co., including Punch and Judy, reveal great care and attention to find casting and meticulous paint decoration.
-Antique Toy WorldMagazine