Starkies
Working in early 20th-century England, Robert Eastwood Starkey crafted mechanical banks like the Jolly Man, Clown Bust, and WWI Canon Bank. His creations, made in cast iron and later aluminum, continued into the 1950s under Thomas Ashworth & Co., marked with the TACO insignia.
Robert Starkey: British Designer Behind the Iconic Jolly Man Banks
Robert Eastwood Starkey of Burley England was the designer of mechanical banks in the first quarter of the 20th century. Primarily known for his jolly man banks, he also designed a Canon bank to commemorate World War One and a clown bust bank. Starkeys banks were made-up to the early 1950s and were made both in cast iron and later in aluminum. Later banks designed by him were manufactured by Thomas Ashworth and Company and carry the initials TACO on the casting.