Bidspirit auction | North Pole Bank

North Pole Bank - Designed by Charles Bailey. Made by the J. & E. Stevens Company. Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1910. The North Pole is the northernmost point on Earth (latitude 90 degrees north & longitude 0 degrees). In the closing years of the 19th century, competitive interest among scientists and adventurers arose as to who would reach the precise coordinates of the north and south poles first and stake claim for doing so. Americans were central participants in arctic exploration and the race to the North Pole. The American public was strongly captivated by news stories from these treacherous expeditions. The detailed press coverage of these voyages acted to spur the ”Race to the Pole” to even greater heights. Through the summer of 1909, we know that Americans Robert Peary and Frederick Cook were both actively in pursuit of reaching the North Pole. And on September 7, 1909 readers of the New York Times awakened to the astonishing headline ”Peary Discovers the North Pole After Eight Trials in 23 Years”. The brilliant North Pole Bank essentially memorializes this great race in human endurance. In its shallowly faceted surface of tiny nooks and crannies, we see rocks and snowdrifts, a dog sled with supplies and three brave male searchers who believe they have actually discovered the North Pole. Once the operator complies with the bank's instruction to ”Put Coin in Slot”, the stars and stripes of the American flag will rise suddenly and proudly from within. Ironically, neither Peary's nor Cook's geographical findings have ever corroborated that they actually reached the North Pole. They were definitely in the vicinity, but each were probably a few miles off the mark. Today, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, a key figure in Antarctic Exploration, is credited as being first to the North Pole also. This example of Stevens' North Pole Bank is nothing short of breathtakingly perfect. Condition: Near Mint Condition.