Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1891-02-21
POCKET SAVINGS BANKS.
A New and Ingenious Contriv-
ance.
The Latest Invention for Enabling Those
Having Odd Coins About Their Per-
sons to Save Them A Good
Thing for Spendthrlfts.

Thing for Spendthrlfts.
Pocket savings banks are the lates
thing out. These are receptacles fol
nickels and dimes, out of which they
can not be extracted until certain
amount-usually five dollars or ten dol
lars-has been deposited.
Similar banks are made and extensive
ly sold, of larger size and fanciful de-
sign, which serve the same purpose, but
which can not be carried in the pocket.
Once these banks were only used by
children. To-day they may be found in
the pockets of all sorts and conditions OF
men. That their sale is enormous is at
tested by every dealer in toys and sport
ing goods. One of the largest firms in
New York City told a Sunday Journal
representative one day lately that their
sales had been so vast that they had not
one in stock and had ordered a large
quantity more.
The majority of these banks are de-
velopment of the old-fashiOned child
toys, such as the man with gun who
shoots nickel into the mouth of abear.
The first improvement over these toys
was in the form of safe with COM
bination lock. OF course this served a
purpose. No one could extract any OF
the money deposited unless he knew the
combination.
But the chief enemy of man was felt
to be man himself. The one who alb
stracted most of the cash was the de-
positor. To save him from himself was
the object of the inventors of the latest
devices. While these differ materially
in design and probably in mechanism,
they all have the same principle. This
is to provide a receptacle for savings,
out of which no one, not even the de-
positor himself, can extract them until
a certain amount has been deposited.
The nickel savings bank is one OF
these. This is cast-iron box, with a
door in front. Upon the top is circu-
lar tube with slot in the top. Into this
slot the nickel is dropped. Once in there
1t remains until one hundred of them
are collected. Then, and not till then,
the door can be opened and the pile
taken out.
The registering dime savings bank
is one of the neatest designs. 1t is made
of cast-iron and has a dial like a clock.
This has two hands. When the dime is
deposited the hands register the amount
inside. Ten dollars must be deposited
before the door can be opened. The last
dime opens the door automatically.
An improvement upon this has been
patented and will be offered to the pub
lie next season. IL contains bell,
which rings every time a dime disap
pears in the slot.
Another design is in the form of an
iron Saratoga trunk. This has little
mechanism in front which registers the
amount inside automatically.
The coin registering bank has sort
of cupola on the top and slot at each
side. One side is for dimes and the
other for nickels. By turning the GU
pola top the Slots are opened to admit
the coin.
Ten dollars in either dimes or nickels
must be deposited before the money can
be withdrawn. 1t makes no difference
whether the ten dollars is all in dimes
or all in nickels, or partly one and
partly the other; but they must be
placed in their respective sides or the
machine will get out of order.
Another similar bank is the pruden-
tial savings bank. This is in the form
of safe, with slots at the top, and is
for both nickels and dimes, being very
similar to the last mentioned, only
simpler.
The most popular form, however, is
that which can be carried around in the
pocket. 1t is simple tube, with slot
under the lid. The dimes as they are
pushed into the tube are held firmly by
a spring. When one hundred of them
have been deposited the lid comes off.
A registering scale, like that of the
old-fashioned kitchen scales, runs down
the tube and little pointer indicates
the number of dimes inside The
beauty of this safe is it's simplicity, and
as it can be carried in the pocket it has
become very popular.
So far as can be learned there is nc
way to beat these banks except by
breaking them. However hard-up q
man may be, he can not touch his saw
lngS.
One ingenious individual had three
dollars in dimes in one of these pocket
banks. He had no other money in hi:
pocket. He wanted a drink; he wanted
it badly. He could not open the bank
He consulted bartender. They tried
to extract money with wire. 1t did
not work.
The man thought he would have tt
remain thirsty. An idea struck the bar
tender. He opened the cash drawer
From it he took out two dollars. 1t wa:
all in dimes. One by one he slipped
them into the bank. At last they were
all gone. The lid came off. The TWEEN
ty dimes went back to the cash drawer
three others went there, too. The man
was thirsty no longer, neither was the
bartender; but the bank contained les:
money than before. This is the only
way to beat one of these banks.
Their cost varies, but may be said Il
run from one dollar to five dollars, &C