Rocket Ship Coin Bank

I’m not exactly sure how I got the Guided Missile Bank by Astro Mfg. I do know that two brothers, John Berzac and Steven left Duro Mold to start their own company, Astro Mold, in 1957. This bank was one of their first designs and was influenced by the “Space Race” period in our country. Coin banks like these amazing give-aways to anyone opening a new savings account. People probably don’t remember that back then banks were for business, savings & loans were where people saved their money and borrowed because ordinary people didn’t have credit cards — they basically saved and paid cash for things they wanted.

What I do remember about this bank was that I broke off the firing pin, which looked like a little bomb, while launching something other than coins. I threw away the red rubber feet caps because I didn’t think they were cool. And then when we moved from Algonac to St.Clair, my bank disappeared along with all of my 1968 signed Tigers baseball cards which included Denny McLain, Willie Horton, Mickey Stanley and Al Kaline. I had ‘em all. Then we moved and a lot of my stuff vanished…