DENVER, PA – Worldwide competition for a high-end collection of antique toys resulted in a million-dollar gross at Morphy’s on July 16-17 as the central Pennsylvania auction house presented the 28-year collection of retired California architect Michael O’Hearn. “Interest in the O’Hearn collection, and in all of the toy consignments for that matter, was fierce,” said auction house owner Dan [...]
BY SY SCHRECKINGER IMAGINE A PERIOD IN history when the haunting whistle of an oncoming steam locomotive generated great excitement! This was a time of worldwide infatuation with these huge and powerful transporters. Our subject, seen in Figure 1, is an example of the ingenuity and creativeness utilized to exploit such public enthusiasm. Cognizant of the popularity of railroading, particularly [...]
BY SY SCHRECKINGER Simplistic and charming are the imaginizing of life on a farm. Its appeal was the catalyst for the manufacture of innumerable objects reflecting such an existence. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries several mechanical banks were produced, both in this country and abroad, that depicted various aspects of farm life. Some examples were of a [...]
BY SY SCHRECKINGER Patriotism and marksmanship have long been popular subjects for manufacturers of mechanical banks, both in the United States and abroad. One such example is the well-known “Creedmoor Bank” (, which was inspired by the first target shooting event organized in this country in the year 1875. Held at Creedmoor Plains, Long Island, New York, the contest featured [...]
