Rare 1897 J&E STEVENS Co. JOLLY N MECHANICAL BANK nr Start Price USD 499.99 Current Price USD 499.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, November 18, 2008 End Time Friday, November 28, 2008 Location Haw River, NC See more about 'Rare 1897 J&E STEVENS Co. JOLLY N MECHANICAL BANK nr' Description Here is an original antique mechanical bank that measures a little over 6.5 inches tall. Its made of cast iron and called the Jolly N????? and was produced around 1897 or not much later. What makes this most desirable is the maker, J&E Stevens Co. of Cromwell, CT. This company bought the patent for this style bank which was first produced by Shepard Hardware Co. After they bought the patent Stevens made a few modifications to the design and re-offered the bank for sale in 1897. This bank has a smooth finish and is a lot better quality than the earlier Shepard-made banks. About a month or so ago another Stevens Jolly N bank sold on ebay live auctions for $1700. However, that bank had much better looking paint than on this example. Fortunately this bank has more than 50% of its original paint intact. I don't think this has ever been repainted although the paint is faded in some areas (more so on the reverse side). One of the painted eyeballs looks to be completely intact on the displayable part while the other only shows a couple pinhead size flakes on the paint. When you press down the lever on the back, the man's arm lifts the coin and deposits it into his mouth (which also opens in the bottom in order to accept the coin). In addition, when the coin is deposited the man's eyeballs also roll slightly backward. Only when the eyeballs are rolled backward is the only time you can see a few more minor wear spots on the paint. I see no breaks or repairs anywhere on the metal. I believe the coin trap cover on the bottom of the base is original to the bank. Other than the worn and faded paint this bank has no other problems. It looks to grade in the good to very good range and still displays really well. (Any bright white spots are just reflections from the light). No reserve! Buyer to pay shipping (Priority Mail s/h; foreign will be by Priority Mail International). Orders paid by PayPal will be shipped asap (usually 2 to 5 business days). Place a Bid!