Toy bank collection captures the heart of Cedar Rapids banker

Northwestern Financial Review, Sep 4, 1999 by Olmsted, Monte

What do a rocket-to-the-moon, a kicking donkey, Uncle Sam, Mickey Mouse, Ben Franklin and the Empire State Building have in common?

No, they can't be found in the same box of Cracker Jack.

Rather, their miniature depictions comprise part of the antique toy bank collection of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, banker Harold Becker, a man whose hobby may have reached the obsession level as he admits to spending a hefty sum to accumulate 1,000 banks in less than five years.

"They're fun to look at, fun to play with and fun to show off. I just get a fun feeling out of it," said Becker, a 30-year banking veteran and chairman of the $160 million Guaranty Bank & Trust Co.

A computerized inventory keeps track of Becker's rare collection of still, mechanical and promotional banks, which are lined and neatly categorized on shelves in Cedar Rapids. Standing there are clay, wood, porcelain, glass, tin, iron and cardboard banks resembling animals (pigs, a giraffe, lions, bears and monkeys); people (Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Kennedy, and Daniel Boone and Charles Lindbergh); buildings (the Sears Tower and the previously mentioned Empire State Building); cars and clowns.

A number of one-of-a-kind, handmade banks fill out his collection, too. Among the most unique is a wood and metal donkey that kicks coins into the bank for safekeeping. There also are banks from around the world including some from Haiti, Israel, Russia, England and Africa; collectibles of pop culture icons Mickey Mouse and the Beatles, and music box, clock, baseball and football banks.

Becker's most treasured and oldest piece is the famous Uncle Sam bank, circa 1840s. The mechanical bank with moving parts depicts the nation's mascot who, with the push of a button, drops a coin from his hand into his pocketbook. The bank is worth an estimated $3,000, Becker said.

Becker started collecting toy banks by accident. For years, he accompanied his wife, Dianne, to regional antique shops and flea markets while she looked for pieces to add to her Fiesta dishware collection. During those trips, Becker realized that he needed something to do. That's when the collecting bug bit him.

An attempt at collecting toy trains ended when Becker realized that a number of them didn't work, and he was no mechanical genius. "I said, 'This is no good. That's not going to do it for me,' so I sold them. 'I think I'll collect toy banks. That makes sense,' so I started, and I've loved every minute of it," said Becker, a member of the Indianapolis-based Still Bank Collectors Club of America.

He finds most of his treasures in antique shops and flea markets in Iowa, Illinois and Florida, where he and his wife have a winter home. Becker shops for them "whenever I get in the car." The banker admits that his toy bank budget has exploded, but "when you find them, you've got to buy them. You can't wait. If you go back, they won't be there."

His biggest bank is a 1930s-era footlong piggy bank he bought in Omaha. "It would take a lot of money to fill it," he said. The smallest one is a "teensy-weensy" cylinder bank similar to what carhops used as change dispensers. "I bet it doesn't hold a dollar's worth of dimes."

A few of the iron banks weigh up to four pounds apiece. And also in his collection are several banks made from "pygg" clay, from which the term piggy bank was derived. Becker said these banks were made a century ago and included a slot on top. In order to get the coins out, the banks were broken, so very few "pygg" clay banks survive.

Becker finds it difficult to choose his favorite toy banks since there are so many. However, he admits a weakness for the buildings. "I'm enamored with them all, but I love the buildings. I thrive on those."

Becker's collection has grown so quickly that he and his bank are contemplating constructing a museum-- like display and permanent home at Guaranty Bank & Trust. Now, about a dozen of Becker's collectible banks are showcased at the main bank.

Becker keeps a few coins inside the collectible banks and they'll stay there. Becker explained, "When I demonstrate the mechanical banks, I'll put pennies in, but I can't get them out. I don't have the keys to all of the banks. If I wanted to get them out, I'd have to have somebody pick the lock."