The Kenton Brand Cast Iron Combination Safe Bank
In 1893, a struggling lock company in Kenton, Ohio cast its first toy: a bank. That decision launched the Kenton Hardware Company on a path to becoming one of the world's largest cast iron toy factories — makers of horse-drawn fire trucks, toy automobiles, and the Gene Autry cap pistol that sold two million units in eighteen months. This combination safe still bank, marked "KENTON BRAND" on the base, is the product category that started it all. Ornate Victorian scrollwork, combination knob, coin slot, and hinged rear panel. Pieces held by the Smithsonian. Ohio Historical Society marker at the factory site. Acquired from eBay seller jpnkoi, March 2026
The A.C. Williams Co. Sad Iron
Before the cast iron banks. Before the toy automobiles and airplanes sold through Woolworth's and Kresge's. Before A.C. Williams became the largest manufacturer of cast iron toys in the world — there was a heavy, solid sad iron with a detachable wooden handle. This one is marked "WILLIAMS CO." and "RAVENNA, OHIO" and dates to the transitional period when miniature models of this very product, made for traveling salesmen, caught a buyer's eye and launched one of Ohio's most celebrated foundries into the toy business. Acquired from Etsy seller stoneridgeattic, March 2026.
The Canton Cake Griddle — Three-Cake Flop Griddle
Before the electric griddle, there was the flop griddle — and Canton Cake Griddle Co. of Canton, Ohio built one of the best. Three wells, a hinged flat lid, one motion: perfect pancakes, no spatula required.