Bidspirit auction | Calamity - Cast Iron Mechanical

Calamity - Cast Iron Mechanical Bank with Box - Made by the J. & E. Stevens Company. Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1905. The Perelman Toy Museum Collection. ” The Calamity Bank portrays football as it was played at the beginning of the 20th century. In this period, there were no professional leagues. Football was first established as a battleground between collegiate teams. Immediately, rivalries sprang up that still exist today. One such antagonistic matchup was the one between Harvard and Yale, the two teams depicted in the Calamity Bank. In this particular example, we find two defense tacklers from Harvard (crimson details) taking down a running fullback from Yale (blue details). The ball players wear only thin flimsy leather shoulder pads and caps. Such nominal protective gear often caused many young men to sustain serious injuries. This is reenacted by the violent action of the bank, in which the tackle is characterized by head butting and bodies crashing into each other. President Teddy Roosevelt viewed this dangerous situation extremely seriously. He had planned to incorporate the abolition of collegiate football into his political platform for his re-election in 1904, however, his advisors talked him out of it. The Perelman Calamity Bank has long been considered the best extant example in the world.” Illustrated P. 51 of the Morphy Book. Condition: Near Mint with Original Box.