Presented here is a superb, all‑original example of Professor Pug Frog’s Great Bicycle Feat, one of the most imaginative and mechanically brilliant cast‑iron banks ever produced by the J. & E. Stevens Company of Cromwell, Connecticut. Designed by celebrated bank designer Charles A. Bailey and introduced around 1892, this bank is widely admired for its complex action, whimsical characters, and exceptional engineering.
This example features the desirable red‑base variation, notable for its unusually soft, beautifully preserved surface. It remains completely original, including Mother Goose’s tongue, a fragile component that is often missing or replaced. The paint is excellent, untouched, and displays the rich patina collectors prize. The mechanism functions properly: place a coin on the rear wheel, turn the crank, and Professor Pug Frog and his boneshaker bicycle perform a full, seemingly impossible revolution, depositing the coin into the clown’s slot while Mother Goose wags her tongue.
Scarce in any condition and especially difficult to find with original parts and strong paint, this is a standout example of one of Stevens’ most celebrated mechanical banks. A rare opportunity to acquire a top‑tier specimen of a true 19th‑century American toy masterpiece.
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