This is an early 20th-century antique American cast iron still penny bank modeled after a classic United States freestanding street mailbox. The bank is constructed of two vertical halves secured down the center by an integrated internal layout and held together tightly by an original single flat-head iron screw on the front panel and a square nut system on the reverse.

The front of the bank features crisp, embossed block lettering that reads "LETTERS" above a lower raised panel stamped "U.S. MAIL." The coin slot at the top is uniquely designed with a distinct "saw-tooth" or jagged metal ridge framing the upper drop path, which historically acted as an anti-theft design to prevent individuals from "fishing" coins out of the bank with a wire. The reverse side features a geometric grid pattern consisting of twelve open circular ventilation/inspection holes arranged in a clean 3 x 4 array, split evenly down the center seam line.

Item Specifications

• Object Type: Still Coin Bank / Penny Bank

• Subject: U.S. Mail Street Box / Letter Box

• Manufacturer/Foundry: Attributed to A.C. Williams Co. (Ravenna, Ohio)

• Estimated Age: Circa 1912–1920s

• Country of Origin: United States

• Material: Heavy-gauge cast iron

• Dimensions: Approximately 3.75" H x 1.75" W x 1.5" D

• Finish: Original dark green enamel painted surface with an honest, as-found weathered patina.

Reference

This specific design can be cross-referenced with the authoritative collector's guide:

• Book Title: The Penny Bank Book: Collecting Still Banks

• Authors: Andy Moore and Susan Moore

• Classification Context: This style of A.C. Williams U.S. Mail Box banks is classified under the dedicated "Mailboxes" identification sections. For context on similar contemporary variations and small-scale manufacturing forms from this specific period (1910–1930), see page 102, entry no. 854.

Condition Report

• Overall Status: Very Good antique condition.

• Surface/Paint: Retains a highly desirable, honest amount of its original dark green enamel finish. It exhibits age-appropriate paint loss, edge wear, and micro-flaking that highlights the rough texture of early sand-cast iron.

• Metalwork: Structural casting is completely sound. There are no chips, fractures, or hairlines along the legs, top ridges, or delicate seam edges.

• Hardware: Equipped with its original, period-correct flat-head iron machine screw and square interior nut. The threads are stable and have not been stripped or overtightened.

Authenticity Assessment

An inspection of the provided images confirms that this piece displays all the primary hallmarks of genuine early 20th-century sand-cast iron manufacturing:

1. Texture and Seams: The interior and exterior surfaces show a distinct, tight peppering and minor texture variations indicative of vintage sand molds rather than the glassy smooth, oily surface typical of modern reproduction castings. The vertical mold seams are tightly matched but display natural, hand-trimmed factory anomalies instead of uniform, laser-precise modern lines.

2. Hardware Wear: The flat-head screw and square nut system display a uniform oxidation and chemical patination that perfectly matches the surrounding iron. There are no bright zinc-plated surfaces or modern cross-threaded phillips heads.

3. Paint Degradation: Under close examination, the green paint exhibits micro-alligatoring and natural deep-seated oxidization where the bare metal has been exposed over a century. The rust present is a dark, slow-forming iron oxide patina embedded in the grain, rather than an artificially applied chemical topical rinse.

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Item Description and Condition Disclaimer

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