Her collection started with a Big Bird Mystery Bank, a gift from her mom, Elaine. Sesame Street toys are favorites for most kids, but watching coins flip, with the tug of a tail, from Big Bird's hand into the bank made this toy an instant favorite.
Mechanical banks add an interactive dimension to any bank collection.
Placing a coin at the edge of the tub on Kim's Bathing Beauty bank makes the foot of the batherpop out of the water and sweep the coin into the tub. Her hamburger bank swallows coins, and the mystery bank makes money disappear. The classic piggy bank is represented four times in Kim's collection. Kim and her mother enjoy searching flea markets and resale shops together, trips that have given Kim lessons in bartering with dealers. Elaine Field said the difference between kids' collections and those of adults is that kids don't think of the value of the objects.