Freedman’s Bank Sold at Bertoia

The Freedman’s bank auctioned for $132,000 at a Bertoia sale. The bank was made about 1880 by Jerome Secore in Connecticut. Only about 10 are known to still exist, The mechanical bank was made of wood, cloth and white metal, not iron like most other banks. A black man sits at a table, a coin is placed on the table top and the man brushes it into a hole with his left hand. His right hand was then used to thumb his nose in the familiar gesture. The bank represented the Freedman’s Saving and Trust bank started by President Lincoln after the Civil War to make banking possible in impoverished areas.