Kyser & Rex Mikado Bank Sells for $38,400 at Bertoia Auctions' Mechanical Banks Sale
A circa-1866 Mikado mechanical bank produced by Kyser & Rex, one of only a few known examples, brought $38,400 at Bertoia Auctions' Mechanical Banks & Cast-Iron Toys Auction on September 25. The sale was conducted both online and at the gallery. A scarce mechanical Alphabet Man, also called the Yankee Schoolmaster — a hybrid toy and 19th-century schoolmaster's educational aid — realized $20,400. The auction's headline consignment was the mechanical bank collection of Dr Robert E Booth, Jr (1945-2026), who was known for assembling one of America's finest private collections of Americana. Bertoia Auctions organized the event.
Key facts
- The Mikado mechanical bank was made circa-1866 by Kyser & Rex
- The Mikado bank sold for $38,400
- The Mikado bank is one of only a few known examples
- A mechanical Alphabet Man, also known as the Yankee Schoolmaster, sold for $20,400
- The Alphabet Man was part toy and part 19th-century schoolmaster's educational aid
- The auction was held September 25, online and at the gallery
- The sale was headlined by the mechanical bank collection of the late Dr Robert E Booth, Jr (1945-2026)
- Dr Booth assembled one of America's finest private collections of Americana
Entities
Artists
- Dr Robert E Booth, Jr
Institutions
- Bertoia Auctions
- Kyser & Rex