Dent Hardware Company

Dent Hardware Co.

Henry H. Dent founded The Dent Hardware Company of Fullerton, Pennsylvania in 1895. Beginning in 1898, the company produced a wide variety of cast iron still banks and toys, although these products never became a central focus of the Hardware Company. Dent ceased production of still banks and toys in 1937 and the company closed its doors in 1973.

Enterprise Manufacturing Co.

Enterprise Manufacturing Co.

The Enterprise Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was primarily a hardware manufacturer known for its coffee mills and domestic devices such as cherry pitters and apple peelers. Taking advantage of the 100-year milestone in America’s history, and the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, the company produced a number of souvenir banks that depicted patriotic landmarks, such as Independence Hall. The company continued to manufacture banks after the exposition until the late 1800′s.

Kyser and Rex Co. banks & toys

Kyser & Rex Banks and Toys

In 1879 inventors Louis Kyser and Alfred Rex joined their creative talents to create the Kyser & Rex Company of Frankfort, Pennsylvania. The company manufactured iron cast goods and hardware in addition to a line of mechanical and still banks and bellringer toys. Their bank and toy ingenuity was pushed to an even higher level through the later assistance of Rudolph Hunter, a mechanical engineer and attorney. Kyser [...] Click here to continue reading.

Lion & Two Monkeys mechanical bank

The Lion & Two Monkeys Bank

This unique bank was patented by Kyser & Rex in 1883. The bank works by putting a coin in the monkey’s hand. When the lever is pressed down, the monkey lowers his hand and drops the coin into the lion’s mouth.

Tipi – Terminology

Tipi – Terminology

There are many differing terms and spellings for similar Native American artifacts and practices, both in the English language and among the various North American tribes. Given this widely varied usage, p4A.com has elected to follow the Smithsonian’s Handbook of North American Indians in selecting the most authentic terminology and spellings for the database. In this case we use the term “tipi,” as opposed to “tepee” or “teepee” used elsewhere, for [...] Click here to continue reading.

Pig Banks

Pig Banks

Why do so many banks take the form of a pig?

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange clay called “pygg”. People saved coins in jars made of this clay and the jars became known as “pygg banks.” When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

Hubley Mfg. Co. – Pennsylvania Toy, Bank & Iron Goods Maker

Hubley Banks & Toys

Hubley Manufacturing Company began operation in 1894 and was located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They expanded their basic line of toys in the 1920s to include bookends, ashtrays, and doorstops.

Unlike most other companies who produced toys and banks as a profitable sidelines to their hardware manufacturing, John Hubley, the founder of the Hubley Manufacturing Company, emphasized toy and bank manufacturing from the very beginning. The company used the patterns of [...] Click here to continue reading.

Grey Iron Casting Co. – Pennsylvania Toy & Bank Maker

The Grey Iron Casting Company

Grey Iron began as the Wrightsville Hardware Company in 1881 to manufacture toys. In 1912, the company assumed the new name of the Grey Iron Casting Company and went into business on its own, based in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. The company produced a wide array of iron banks and toys, including military miniatures. Their first iron banks were made in 1903, and they ceased bank production in 1925 – [...] Click here to continue reading.

John Harper Co. – English Decorative Iron Goods

John Harper Banks

John Harper established his manufacturing business during the 1800′s in Willenhall, Staffordshire, England next to his foundry, Albion Works. The company produced a great number of iron decorative goods, including mechanical and still banks, throughout the latter parts of the 19th century and into the early 20th century. The Harper Company ceased manufacturing banks in 1953 after producing the Crown and Throne still banks in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth II ‘s coronation.

Rockingham Pottery

Rockingham Pottery

Brownish glazed Rockingham pottery originated in England, where it was named after the Marquis of Rockingham, who produced it at his Swinton pottery.

Essentially Rockingham is yellow ware that is streaked or dappled with a lustrous manganese brown glaze; some is tortoise-shell or spattered yellow. The brown color is part of the glaze itself, which was spattered on the fired clay body. Variations in color were achieved by applying the glaze more [...] Click here to continue reading.

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