"Guided Missile" Mechanical Bank, circa 1957
01
Artifact Overview
In the years before the space race of the late 1950s, many Americans viewed outer space exploration as fantasy and science fiction. Children's space toys--including banks--reflected those futuristic visions. This "Guided Missile" bank, made by Astro Manufacturing about 1957, contains a spring-loaded mechanism that launched a coin into a slot in the underside of the rocket's nose.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Mechanical bank
Date Made
circa 1957
Creators
Place of Creation
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
2018.82.4
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Raymond Reines, Dedicated to the Berzac Family.
Material
Metal
Color
Silver (Color)
Red
Dimensions
Height: 13.125 in
Width: 3.875 in
Length: 3.875 in
Inscriptions
on side of front fin:
CAN. PAT. 150-21482 / R D 1957-A PERZAC CREATION
on side of back fin:
ASTRO MFG. U.S.A. / DETROIT - U.S. PAT. SND 45961
label on top of missile:
New Horizons
on top of key:
VACUMET / 2
Keywords |
|---|
02
Related Content
SetBlast Off! A Collection of Space-Themed Banks
- 10 Artifacts
In 2018-2019, The Henry Ford acquired a collection of space-themed banks and related materials dating from 1949 to 1964. These items, produced by Detroit-based companies Duro Mold and Manufacturing and Astro Manufacturing, were offered at local bank branches as incentives for potential customers to start bank accounts. The mechanical banks' designs speak to Americans' changing perceptions of outer space during that time--from fantasy to reality.
articleSymbols of the Space Age
Our collection of 20th century mechanical, space-themed banks show outer space both as a fantasy world and as real place where humans travel.