A.C. Williams/Arcade Gold Variation Cast Iron Large Prancing Horse Still Penny Coin Bank *SOLD*

A.C. Williams/Arcade Gold Variation Cast Iron Large Prancing Horse Still Penny Coin Bank 

This is a beautiful “Large Prancing Horse” gold/gilt colored variation manufactured by A.C. Williams of Ravenna, Ohio. There are no markings on this piece. It should be noted that Moore’s “The Penny Bank Book” on page 86 shows this to be either A.C. Williams or Arcade.  Yingst’s “Catalog No. 25 1912: Arcade Mfg. Co.” shows this same bank on page 227. We suspect this may be an A.C. Williams design used by Arcade or vice versa. 

The horse is painted gold with gold hooves, red eyes and a red nose and mouth. The pedestal base is in a matching gold. 

This piece is in very good all original condition with no breaks, restorations, repairs, or touch ups. This piece shows the usual patina, fading, dust, chips, scuffs, surface rust, scratches, missing accessories and wear that are to be expected from age and play. The pedestal is approximately 4 ½” L x 2 ¾” W. The horse is approximately 7” from nose to tail and approximately 7 ½” high. We believe this would be a stunning addition to any still bank or horse collection. We encourage you to examine the photographs to further determine condition and quality. 

A brief history of A.C. Williams Co. of Ravenna, Ohio: 

The A. C. Williams Company was founded in business in Chagrin Falls, Ohio in 1844. It was founded by John Wesley Williams, the father of A. C. Williams. However, there was a big fire at the company, and a decision was made to move to Ravenna. Ohio. Actual production started there in 1893. 

Like the other famous cast iron companies of the time (Hubley, Dent, Kilgore, Arcade, Kenton), A.C. Williams manufactured cast iron cars and trucks.  From 1893 to 1923 they produced cast-iron horse-drawn rigs, autos, airplane, penny banks and tractor toys; the line included mostly miniatures distributed through Woolworth, Kresge`s, and other five-and-dime stores. They even produced some tin cars towards the end of the company’s relatively long history. Unfortunately, in 1938 they closed their toy production and continued in other ventures to this day.