Collecting banks is a rewarding hobby that functions on many levels. It
also has a long, long history with not only hobbyists, but historians as
well.

Banks have been found at all levels of history. Since the earliest
development of money as the foundation of a bartering system for goods, people
have needed somewhere to put it. Goodness knows it can’t seem to stay in
anyone’s wallet for too long. That is where banks come in. At least if the money
isn’t in your pocket you can’t be tempted to impulse buy. Even the strongest
and most disciplined of the earliest Egyptians must have walked by a marketplace
and suddenly been overwhelmed by the desire to buy a toy pyramid.

Banks
also provide children with their earliest experiences in how to handle money. It
can help them grow to learn the value of a dollar saved. It can also provide a
feeling of satisfaction when a child sees that those dimes saved over the course
of a few months can add up to so much more. In addition, banks provide a quiet
bonding experience between child and parent.

Another aspect is the idea
of collecting itself. As the child learns the value of saving, they also begin
to grasp the concept of holding onto something for it’s own intrinsic value.
This value can be monetary or aesthetic. As the collecting experience unfolds,
the benefits for both parents and child grow. The greatest of these benefits may
be the time spent with each other.

One way to attract children to the
banking experience is by attaching a familiar character to the concept. The
ancient Egyptians may have given their children a little, hardened mud pyramid
bank. The bank manufacturers of today often seek out familiar licensed
characters.

To illustrate this point, Scoop has found a few still banks
from a series of Warner Brothers Banks. They were made by the Metal Moss Mfg.
Company and feature Bugs, Elmer and many other cartoon friends.