I wanted a house for so many years before I could afford one it’s no surprise that I began to collect small, affordable houses. Vintage banks shaped like houses that is.
One year, at an antiques show in Boston, I found a small house-shaped bank marked “Save For A Home.” Since that’s precisely what I was doing it was a must have. Several months later I found another vintage house bank at a garage sale marked “Save For A Purpose.” Voila! A collection in the making.
Trouble was, it turned out to be a fluke that those two vintage collectibles had turned up so easily. For the life of me I couldn’t find another. Obsession set in. Every time I cruised the aisles in an antique shop I was really looking for just one thing. Soon half a dozen of my friends and family were enlisted in the search. My collection grew at the rate of about one house bank per year — with a lot of hunting in between each discovery.
And then they created eBay. My collection doubled in size within three weeks and the obsession was lifted.
The focus of my obsession is small — about 3.5″ wide and 2.5″ high at the peak of the roof. These banks were give-aways — usually by banks or credit unions, sometimes by insurance companies. They are made of an early plastic with a metal bottom that is opened with a key. If you’re lucky the key will still accompany the bank. There’s a metal plate affixed across the front of the base that reads “Save For A Home,” “Save For A Purpose,” or “Save And Have” and a metal plate on the other side that has the bank or company’s name and address. The body is off-white and the color of the metal plate matches the color of the roof — red, green, or blue. Earlier versions were made of cast iron or tin.
Shaped like a quintessential Cape Cod style house the banks are charming and remarkably detailed. The Cape is complete with dormer windows, shutters with cut-outs, and a fanlight over the door. There are miniature details like a door knocker and a pair of lantern-style lights that flank the door.
The best way to track down house banks is to search on eBay. Do a search that includes the item description field for the term “save for a home” in quotations and you’ll find them.
My grandfather built a Cape in the 1960s financing the construction in large part with the coins he’d been collecting. It’s probably no longer feasible to finance a home purchase with change but I still think these house banks are a great inspiration for somebody who’s trying to amass a down payment or who’s dreaming of their first home. “Save and Have” is certainly a better plan than “Borrow and Spend.”
As for me I just like houses – in any size – so my vintage house bank collection lines a shelf above my desk