This highly sought after mechanical Punch & Judy cast iron bank was made around 1884 by the Shepard Hardware Company of Buffalo, New York. This bank was produced in 3 different sizes which had small, medium, or large letters on the theater’s marquis. This version is the large letter version. It is in great all original condition. To operate the bank, you pull out the top lever on the right-hand side until it clicks in place making Punch raise his club to Judy. You then place a coin on Judy’s frying pan and press down on the lever underneath the top one to make Punch swing at Judy while she quickly flings the money into the bank. This is a great toy and the action of it is sure to bring a smile to your face!
On the underside of this bank there is raised letters that reads, ‘Buffalo, N.Y. – USA – Pat’d’ in US July 15, 1884, and July 22, 1884. – Rd. in England – No. 10422′. This bank has the large wordage that reads, ‘Punch and Judy Bank’ on the front of the bank. This toy measures 6 1/8″ wide is 7 1/2″ high and 3 1/4″ deep.
Punch and Judy was a traditional puppet show featuring Mr. Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically Mr. Punch and one other character.
