Farm find - Old home site (dates back to 1865)

[LiterBikeHunter]

I'm hoping someone can help me ID this.

I was hunting out on my mothers property in the vicinity of an old home site that dates back to 1865. According to the plat maps, I would have been right in the middle of the home but it's my understanding that these maps aren't always accurate. Unfortunately, this is the only item I found that could possibly have any real age to it. I found a bunch of smaller steel squares, copper traps and what my mom thinks might be a file. I think it could possibly be a flat bar from a window of a jail or a bank (if banks had bars in the windows that is.)

On the front, across the top, it has the word BANK and it's made of what I believe to be iron. It's heavy for what it is and has a bit of rust on it that I wouldn't mind removing but I'm not sure where to begin. I don't have an electrolysis set up but had considered soaking it in apple cider vinegar and possibly using a brass brush on it to help knock some of it off.

Anyways, here it is. Let me know what you think! Each link is a different image.

MD Find

MD Find

MD Find

MD Find

MD Find

 

[dave5710]

I wonder if it is some sort of pull for an early night deposit box.

 

[LiterBikeHunter]

I wonder if it is some sort of pull for an early night deposit box.

I wondered this myself but after a little more research, I found this on eBay: eBay

I found another one that looks almost identical. Apparently, the coin slot is on the reverse side (the side I'm missing). I found a few more that look very similar and one (also listed on eBay) is said to be from the early 1900's. Possibly great news for me as there may be a few coins in the same area? The down side is that the person who listed it and stated it was from the early 1900's doesn't offer any evidence to validate this claim and I can't seem to find anything else that could possibly date this item.

 

[flinthunter]

I found something similar a few years ago. Mine was half of a cast iron coin bank or as some would call it, a childs piggy bank.

 

[407floyd]

Good work LiterBikeHunter. That's exactly what I first thought of when I saw it, half a bank. They were cast in 2 halves and screwed together with steel screws that rusted away.

 

[LiterBikeHunter]

Good work LiterBikeHunter. That's exactly what I first thought of when I saw it, half a bank. They were cast in 2 halves and screwed together with steel screws that rusted away.

Thanks! I need to clean it up a bit more and see if I can find where the bolts that held it together went.

It looks like it had a piece that sat on top too which may have been broken off.

Do you have any idea when it may have been manufactured?