Collectibles - The Home Safe
- Date: 2007-04-11 - Word Count: 573
Share This!
Home Safes - The Beginning
Welcome to the world of argyrothecolists, which is the name for a collector of money boxes.
Money has been saved in lots of different containers and for a variety of reasons for thousands of years. The British Museum has an example made of pottery during the Roman Empire which contained silver coins from the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great (around AD 307-340).
The Victorian Era produced a variety of devices, boxes and safes for encouraging saving, including of course the locked money box. Many were designed to illustrate some important event of the day.
These early money boxes however were not used for advertising or marketing purposes but in the 1880's, in an effort to attract more customers, Banks in the USA began giving away money boxes that prominently displayed the banks name. These were called home safes, with a simple but effective lock, the key to which was kept by the bank.
The Home Safe
Home safes were different from simple money boxes because they contained a patented device, which prevented the money from being extracted by the usual method of inserting a knife or flat object in the slot in the hope that the money would slide out. The only way to extract money from a home safe was to force the lock.
When the home safe was taken to the bank to be opened, the money was credited to the customers account. They became extremely popular in the United States and by 1910 some 10 million were in use.
In the UK, home safes arrived in the early 1900's. Here, a home safe is generally accepted to mean a money box issued by a Bank or other institution between 1900-1970. The later plastic ones are called piggy banks for obvious reasons. In the USA all money boxes which are not mechanical are known as still banks.
The design of home safes changed over the years and can be categorised as follows ...
1. Black Metal - The main manufacturer of these safes in the UK was Taylor Law. Within this category there were different types as follows:
(i) Large Black boxes (some are decorated with copper lines),
(ii) Small Black boxes (some are decorated with copper lines)
2. Recording Safes - The Automatic Recording safe Co Ltd was granted a registered design for this type of safe in 1921. Both oval and round safes were made. These recording safes are either nickel plated or chrome.
3. The Portable Type - This does not have individual compartments for coins as the recording type it has one coin slot in the top, which prevents the box being completely filled and so in theory would be emptied more frequently at the bank.
4. The Prudential Type - This is similar to the portable type apart from the coin slot is at the front.
5. The Book Type - These were the most popular, as they were less expensive to manufacture, lighter and fitted in a pocket. They basically looked like a bound book.
(i) The Taylor Law Type - Larger than the book type. When unlocked the whole side is removed on early types. The later types had a hinged bottom flap. Lots of this type were made for the Post Office Savings Bank
(ii) Those made by the Automatic Recording Safe Co. ltd - Smaller than the Taylor Law ones, they open like a book.
(iii) Those made by Pearson Page & Jewsbury Ltd - These are by far the most numerous as Pearson Page & Jewsbury could manufacture them at a very low price.
Welcome to the world of argyrothecolists, which is the name for a collector of money boxes.
Money has been saved in lots of different containers and for a variety of reasons for thousands of years. The British Museum has an example made of pottery during the Roman Empire which contained silver coins from the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great (around AD 307-340).
The Victorian Era produced a variety of devices, boxes and safes for encouraging saving, including of course the locked money box. Many were designed to illustrate some important event of the day.
These early money boxes however were not used for advertising or marketing purposes but in the 1880's, in an effort to attract more customers, Banks in the USA began giving away money boxes that prominently displayed the banks name. These were called home safes, with a simple but effective lock, the key to which was kept by the bank.
The Home Safe
Home safes were different from simple money boxes because they contained a patented device, which prevented the money from being extracted by the usual method of inserting a knife or flat object in the slot in the hope that the money would slide out. The only way to extract money from a home safe was to force the lock.
When the home safe was taken to the bank to be opened, the money was credited to the customers account. They became extremely popular in the United States and by 1910 some 10 million were in use.
In the UK, home safes arrived in the early 1900's. Here, a home safe is generally accepted to mean a money box issued by a Bank or other institution between 1900-1970. The later plastic ones are called piggy banks for obvious reasons. In the USA all money boxes which are not mechanical are known as still banks.
The design of home safes changed over the years and can be categorised as follows ...
1. Black Metal - The main manufacturer of these safes in the UK was Taylor Law. Within this category there were different types as follows:
(i) Large Black boxes (some are decorated with copper lines),
(ii) Small Black boxes (some are decorated with copper lines)
2. Recording Safes - The Automatic Recording safe Co Ltd was granted a registered design for this type of safe in 1921. Both oval and round safes were made. These recording safes are either nickel plated or chrome.
3. The Portable Type - This does not have individual compartments for coins as the recording type it has one coin slot in the top, which prevents the box being completely filled and so in theory would be emptied more frequently at the bank.
4. The Prudential Type - This is similar to the portable type apart from the coin slot is at the front.
5. The Book Type - These were the most popular, as they were less expensive to manufacture, lighter and fitted in a pocket. They basically looked like a bound book.
(i) The Taylor Law Type - Larger than the book type. When unlocked the whole side is removed on early types. The later types had a hinged bottom flap. Lots of this type were made for the Post Office Savings Bank
(ii) Those made by the Automatic Recording Safe Co. ltd - Smaller than the Taylor Law ones, they open like a book.
(iii) Those made by Pearson Page & Jewsbury Ltd - These are by far the most numerous as Pearson Page & Jewsbury could manufacture them at a very low price.
Related Tags: home, safe, safes, collectible, argyrothecolists, collecable
www.ubos.co.uk is not an auction site. It is a growing online community for buyers and sellers to trade securely. Ubos is the 21st Century alternative to auction sites. Upload up to 30 items. One item could even be a multitude of the same product. There are no stealth taxes. You pay for your store for 2-weeks and keep the commission on sales you make. Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Avebury Stone Circle - Does It Have Magical Powers?
Avebury is the site of an ancient monument consisting of a large henge. Its construction was spread - How To Successfully Manage Your Digital Photo Collection And Prevent Catastrophic Loss
Wow.... talk about digital explosion, progress in leaps and bounds. In just a space of 20 years we h - A Short But Fascinating Look At Tin Lunch Boxes
Tin lunch boxes went through a great period of revolution throughout the central part of the last ce - Buy A Unexpected Gift Not Your Normal Gifts
No matter what the personality of the person is, you can always opt for the personalized gift sets t - Laser Tattoo Removal Facts To Know
Untold numbers of folks, perhaps even more, walk around having tattoos. A few are visible, some are - The Reason For High Tattoo Removal Costs
Occasionally, you really need to need some thing really bad in your life to put up with the costs th - Honey Bee Magic - Controlling Taste, Texture, And Flavor
There is a great deal of pride that you get from making your own honey, plus it usually tastes bette - Toy Model Trains; The Coming Of Age.
Did You Or your children grow up with Thomas the Tank Engine? Did you ever read them the story of "T - Most Popular Woodworking Crafts And Projects To Do
Is it finally time for the yearly vacation? It's always very hard to wait for the vacation to take p - Scientifically Proven To Add Years To Your Life Keep Your Mind Active And Even Expand Grey Matter
Do it yourself homemade projects have always fascinated me and I always have something on the go.My
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Scientists Today are using Satellite Photos More for Humanitarian Need Rather Than Espionage
Have you ever had the opportunity of seeing real life satellite photos? Well, in the past few weeks, - Japanese Kanji symbol translation for your tattoo.
There are three types of Japanese symbols to choose from when considering a Japanese style tattoo. K - Holly 'red Beauty' (ppaf #14750)
>A Compact, Disease Resistant Holly - 22 Years in the Making! Dr. Elwin Orton of Rutgers University - Miroslav Klabal is an Art Dealer With a Difference
Giving a vent to one's feelings and expressions is not an easy task. Art is one form that can be mad - Find your Favorite Online Casinos
The interest of gamblers in online casinos is constantly on the increase and so is the number of cas - Understanding Dress Up Games
Some parents are concerned about their daughter's safety online. They wonder as she sits down at the - Ingredient of Indonesian Dishes
INGREDIENTS OF INDONESIAN DISHES Indonesia dishes are amongst the most delicious in the world, - Bass Fishing - Learn the Facts That Can Help you Catch the Trophies
In the fishing world largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are two of the more highly coveted fish ind - Giclee Prints - Affordable Fine Art
"Giclee" is a style of fine art, which incorporates the use of modern day printers, predominately 7- - Beach Decorating for Adults and Kids; From Bathroom Décor to Beach Dioramas
One way to bring back memories of a summer at the beach is through beach themed decorating. It is al