This commemorative Destination Moon mechanical bank was manufactured by Duro Mold & Manufacturing of Detroit, Michigan, based on a design patented in 1959. One of several space-themed banks produced by the company, the bank featured a Moon atop a rocket. A spring-loaded mechanism allowed the owner to fire coins into the Moon globe. The ring around the Moon celebrated the flights of the first American in space, Alan Shepard, and the first American orbital flight, made by John Glenn in 1962.
The label on the base from the Wichita State Bank of Wichita, Kansas shows how this bank would have been awarded as a premium for opening an account at a conventional bank.
This bank model also came in a non-commemorative version (without inscriptions on the ring around the Moon globe) in addition to serving as the basis for a different bank model produced by another company, R.M.S. Sales Corp., that replaced the Moon with a miniaturized Unisphere from the 1964 World's Fair.
Raymond Reines donated this bank to the Museum in 2011.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date
1962
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
MEMORABILIA
Manufacturer
Duro Pattern & Mold Co.
Dimensions
Overall: 26.7 × 8.7 × 8.7cm, 0.6kg (10 1/2 × 3 7/16 × 3 7/16 in., 1.4lb.)
Materials
Metal
Plastic
Paper
Coating
Inventory Number
A20110035000
Credit Line
Gift of Raymond R. Reines. Dedicated to the Berzac Family, in honor of Team NASA.
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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