Bidspirit auction | Sportsman - Fowler Bank

Sportsman - Fowler Bank - Made by the J. & E. Stevens Company. Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1892. From the collection of Gertrude Hegarty. Illustrated on P. 100 of the Morphy Book. The ”Fowler” is the rarest model from the subset of toy banks known as the shooters. Whereas most of the shooter banks have relatively simple mechanisms, the complex engineering for the Fowler Bank is nothing short of astounding. Place a coin in the slot and set the bird on the catapult. Pushing the lever inwards causes the marksman to pivot on his heels. He takes aim at the bird, which has simultaneously been released from the catapult, very briefly flying in the air until it falls dead to the ground. The player was able to increase his auditory joy by adding an exploding cap into the rifle's magazine chamber. Very few specimens of the Fowler Bank have turned up complete with the original bird and in such gorgeous condition as this one. However, this is a Hegarty bank and Gertrude was very particular in her continual quest for perfect examples. Condition: Near Mint Condition. Tiny hairline crack by lever.