Unusual Early American Folk Art Still Bank antler bird My photos do no justice

My photos do no justice to this one

with deeply carved ears popping out

which appear to read 86548

"By Your Daily Conduct Your Character is Formed" on the threes

Unusual Early American Folk Art Still Bank antler bird My photos do no justiceThis is quite an old one, early 19th c. American believe, and also an unusual one, with a whimsy sort of feel, and also a sense of mystery about it. It is a carved still bank, which also feels like a piece of tabletop architecture, with round cylinder at the center framed by three "walls" and two posts, and with a sliding slat that pulls out to expose the slit for dropping coins inside. I find it curiously compelling, and like a distillation of the