The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I know many people are interested in Nipper items, of which there seems to be a great assortment. The attached photo includes one of a bank. Just a guess, does it date from the 1970s?

Cast iron items are commonly reproduced and sold as "old"... The way you obviously can tell, is if Phillips head screws were used. Lately, I have seen many reproductions that used slotted screws, so that is not a reliable test anymore. The only thing that I judge these by is if you like it well enough to buy it, even if it is a repop... then go ahead (IF THE PRICE IS REASONABLE ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY IT). The real problem is paying a retail price that reflects an original item, when it is a fake... If it's cheap, who cares.

Here is a brand new cast iron Nipper, with slotted screws and antiqued paint - probably made in Mexico. It was only $20 and I use it for a door stop...

The one in your picture looks similar, but has additional dirt added for effect... so it probably isn't even as old as the '70s...

It's really hard to date anything cast iron without seeing it in person. I agree with Curt - this one appears to be artificially aged and looks like it's probably at most 20-25 years old. There were a lot of reproduction and fantasy cast iron items made in the 1990s and it continues today. The trouble with that is a lot of these pieces are starting to get to the age where they are starting to develop a bit of a patina of their own, which down the road is going to make identifying them as a repro/fantasy item even more difficult.

Like some people used to say - "Put whatever you are trying to age in a chicken coop for several months and it looks 100 yrs old..." or bury cast iron items for a few weeks and they get plenty of "patina"... Personally, I wouldn't trust anything made of cast iron, as there are too many forgeries of desirable period pieces and they are way too hard to discern whether they are real (meaning old or original) or imitations... The list for possibly identifying originals vs reproductions is a long and subjective one... It's not like looking at an Indian Crap-O-Phone and immediately being able to tell.

The little metal Nipper Bank is found on page 5-69 in Nipper Collectibles Vol.I authored by Joan & Robin Rolfs.

Many have a rusted finish to look old. It has a side screw to disassemble for coin removal. He sold for $17.50 in Norman’s Gift Catalog of 1997. However, there are many of these models sold by various vendors. This cast iron Nipper can also be found on a set of bookends, a bank, and a gramophone. They have fooled many a collector because of their rusted, dirty appearance. Joan laughs because sometime they forget to put his private parts back when the casting is disassembled.

If you really love Nipper, it would be wise to purchase our books and find out if a questionable Nipper item is a “friend or faux.”

Thanks to everyone for their informative responses. Clearly the problem to separate the original from the fake/reproduction is not limited to Nipper.

jboger wrote:Thanks to everyone for their informative responses. Clearly the problem to separate the original from the fake/reproduction is not limited to Nipper.

There are no original cast iron Nipper Banks FULL STOP

soundgen wrote:

jboger wrote:Thanks to everyone for their informative responses. Clearly the problem to separate the original from the fake/reproduction is not limited to Nipper.

There are no original cast iron Nipper Banks FULL STOP

There are definitely some "original" Mexican cast iron Nippers. An antique dealer near here has a bunch of them and other cast iron things for $15 each, along with some "original" Chinese porcelain signs and counterfeit 1800s US silver dollars...

This may be late since I only get to check in once a week. This has been answered, but if you could indulge me an observation. In general, original cast items are not crudely made. They use fine jewelers sand to cast in. Their seems should be tight, and the colors are applied precisely. Of course, as mentioned, there are variances, but it's something to look for.