The Most Valuable Collectors' Items in History

87. Elderly woman at mechanical bank ATM

Maker: W.S. Reed Co.
Original Price: $2,000*
Worth Today: $426,000 in 1998*

WS Reed Co., founded in 1884, created this elderly woman's mechanical bench in the shoe store. It's one of two examples in existence, which explains why it sold for so much money. The second copy sold for US $ 230,000. The cast iron mechanical bench cost around US $ 2,000 when it was first released.

The bank's design is based on an old nursery rhyme, according to WS Reed Co. You place a coin in a boy's outstretched hand. Press the lever and the old woman lifts a stick while the boy places the coin in the bank. Bertoia Auctions was the auctioneer with the highest number of registrations for this bank.