ORIGINAL CAST IRON Mechanical Dog Banks are keenly collected and they seem to be available at any price and in all conditions.

But it is not just the mechanical banks that are the hot items. The Mechanical Dog Bank Trading Card is highly prized among collectors ... and what about the pretty box it came in?

THE MECHANICAL DOG BANK

Mechanical dog banks appeared in the 1870s, reaching their popularity height from 1880 until that century's end. Coincidentally their rise and fall in popularity mirrored that of the Trade Card.

Six-Part Base Trick Dog Mechanical Bank with Original Box Shepard Hardware Co. All original including trap. Sold by morphyauctions for $14,000 in 2006.

Their operation was simple; either the weight of the coin placed in the right place caused the 'banking' action to begin, or, once a coin was set in place, a lever was pressed to activate the spring and cause the coin to be 'banked'.

In their day, the banks were an expensive toy, costing anything from 50 cents to a dollar.

A number of different mechanical banks exist for the collector of dog memorabilia. There is the: Speaking Dog Bank; Trick Dog Bank; Organ Cat and Dog Bank; Bull Dog Savings Mechanical Bank; Dog on Turntable Mechanical Bank and Bull Dog Mechanical Bank, to name a few.

Prices range from the hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on condition and scarcity. New buyers should be aware that many reproductions are in the marketplace so a bit of research is needed before buying the genuine article.

THE DOG MECHANICAL BANK TRADE CARD

THE ONE CARD! Six Piece Trick Dog Trade Card Framed Patented 1885, Full color lithographed Dealer's Card. Sold by morphyauctions for $8,500.

A trade card for a Six Piece Mechanical Trick Dog Bank recently fetched a whopping $8,500 at auction on eBay.

It is a lovely example of the topsy-turvey antiques and collectibles marketplace. Daily, you find items which, having cost a dollar when new, are valued at thousands of dollars when old and used.

As illustrated by the Trick Dog Bank trade card, sometimes the advertising and even the packaging for an antique is worth more than the current value of the original product. Packaging is commonly destroyed and often advertising occurred briefly around a particular product's launch.

Advertising which was placed in large circulation magazines can be readily available. However, other advertising in the form of standalone pieces such as trade cards, leaflets and flyers are desirable when few of these were preserved.

For instance, there are believed to be less than ten examples of the Six Piece Mechanical Trick Dog Bank trade card in existence in any condition hence its great value. But other dog trade cards of similar age and condition can be easily purchased for less than ten dollars.

THE PACKAGING

This Trick Dog Bank box sold in November 2005 for $1860 ... that is nearly two thousand dollars for an empty box. The bank was long gone.