This is a little heavy cast brass money box or bank. It is a genuine antique example and dates to around the 1900s. It has been handled over the last 120 years - and this has resulted in some light ware to the metal - commensurate with its age. This is to be expected on an old original bank.
The bank takes the form of the President of the Transvaal, Paul Kruger. It was made in England and would have been a commemorative item relating to the Boer War.
He was President of the Transvaal or South African Republic from 1883 until his flight to Europe in 1900, after the outbreak of the South African (Boer) War. The bank was probably intended to promote saving for the campaign against the Transvaal. It was the largest and most costly war that Britain had engaged in since the Napoleonic Wars.
The bank is inscribed on his hat: TRANSVAL MONEY BOX. There is also the words: Made in England on the back (this has been rubbed with handling over the years and is hard to see but it is there. The screw is an old one and original to the bank.
HISTORY: Stephanus Johannes Paulus PaulKruger (1825 - 1904) was one of the dominant political and military figures in 19th-century South Africa. He was President of the South African Republic (or Transvaal) from 1883 to 1900.
He came to international prominence as the face of the Boer cause against the British. Paul Kruger's whole life had been to serve as a bulwark of his people against the aggression of British colonial interests in South Africa.
Around this time a drawing depicting Paul Kruger, done by well-known British caricaturist and political cartoonist, Francis Carruthers Gould, had been published in The Westminster Gazette, which was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London known for publishing sketches and short stories. It seems that John Harper & Co. Ltd, who were ironfounders and domestic hardware manufacturers, of Birmingham, and/or of Albion Works, Willenhall, Staffs, saw this drawing and thought Kruger would be the perfect subject to front as a symbol of security for a money box. The drawing would serve as the model for the money box, however, since the likeness was so strong, Harper asked for permission from the Westminster Gazette before proceeding in order to avoid possible copyright implications. The first Kruger money banks were made by John Harper & Co. Ltd. from 1885 to early 1900s.
I have listed this wee antique collector's bank at fair price.
Dimensions: The height is 5 1/2 inches and at the widest it is 4 inches. Being made of cast brass - it has a bit of weight to it. It is 1.3 kg in weight. We can send to you with Royal Mail Recorded Small Parcel. This will be applied to your order at the checkout