Mystery Rocket Bank
Published in the December 2023 Penny Bank Post | Written by Fred Rutter
Some people call me a “pack rat”, but my wife and I prefer to describe ourselves as collectors. I have been this way since childhood — in fact I grew up in a family of collectors. My wife, Tammy, acquired the gene on her own and it has made for a perfect partnership. Mainly we want to preserve old stuff! Being surrounded by old stuff is comforting, and brings back fond memories of visits to our grandparents. Even though their old things were family objects and useful everyday items, we found them fascinating.
The focus of our collecting has changed over the decades and our priorities waned as we got priced out of various items. This is how I drifted into cast iron bank collecting years ago. Banks initially seemed to be rather affordable, plus they were really cool looking, with buildings and animals catching my eye at first. It did not take long to discover the wide range of prices asked at antique shows and stores.
Somehow Tammy stumbled upon the SBCCA online and encouraged me to join. It did not take much convincing! Our first dues payment yielded a copy of Andy and Susan Moore’s great reference guide, The Penny Bank Book. Suddenly the scope of the range of banks grew exponentially!
Approximately ten years ago, we decided to check out a recently opened “antique mall” in a rural central Ohio village named Amanda, located not far from the village where we reside. For decades the building had been occupied by a furniture store. Upon entering it was readily apparent that this operation was similar to what many so-called antique malls have evolved into; meaning into a mall housing dealers in “country décor” with a smattering of older items. It was all good quality, especially the furniture, but not too promising for finding any of the interesting things we gravitate toward. While strolling the aisles Tammy called out, “Hey did you see this bank back here?” I wandered back toward her voice, not expecting much.
There on a table stood a retro-design rocket ship. I picked it up and realized . . .
