LOT 13:
The Bismark Pig Bank
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Sold for: $23,000
Price including buyer’s premium:
$
29,325
Start price:
$
12,000
Estimated price :
$25,000 - $30,000
Buyer's Premium: 27.5%
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The Bismark Pig Bank
Designed by Charles Bailey. Made by J. & E. Stevens Company. Cromwell, Connecticut - Circa 1883. This unusual esoteric bank references the German Tariff of 1879. This protectionist law imposed high tariffs on the import of agricultural products into Imperial Germany. German Chancellor Otto Bismark, who demanded the unfair tax, pops out from the pig's belly, a sort of updated Trojan Horse. Clearly, this piece was one of Bailey's first assignments at J. & E. Stevens. There is still the fascination with lead (figure's head), but he also uses tin and cast iron to fulfill the design of his comical toy bank.
Condition: Near Mint Condition.

