Bidspirit auction | Dentist - Cast Iron Mechanical

Dentist - Cast Iron Mechanical Bank - Made by the J. & E. Stevens Company. Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1890. From the Bob McCumber Collection. The Dentist Bank belongs to a small group of banks that are presented on pedestals, as if they are intended to be theatrical vignettes. Additionally, it is one of the only toy banks to feature a black figure that has little or no racial content beyond conventional humor. The dentist is seen struggling to extract a stubborn tooth from the patient's mouth. Finally, he goes in with a pair of pincers to pry it out. He succeeds, but not before the chair back breaks and the patient tips over backwards with flailing arms. Meanwhile, the penny placed in the dentist's pocket has been deposited into the gasbag/trap. For many years, this bank featured as one of the prize jewels in the McCumber Collection. Many collectors regard it as the finest condition example of the Dentist Bank. Condition: Near Mint Condition.