Collectibles -> Banks-Registers-and-Vending
Some of us remember going into the local Mom & Pop shop and having our penny candy rang up on a tall brass cash register. Some of us have seen such registers in dime stores or in antique stores. There are many things to be appreciated about a vintage cash register, not the least of which is the beautiful design. There’s no comparing an old cash register to the computerized scanning registers today. One may be more modern and efficient, but vintage cash registers were beautiful in their own right.
Before there were cash registers, people held their shop money in a variety of ways—each way individual to the store. Maybe they put it in an envelope or a pouch in a drawer, or even in an old cigar box as was common at the time. The cash register seemed to most to be a newfangled and unnecessary device, not worth spending any of that hard-earned money on. This is at least part of the reason why the registers were made with such beautiful cabinets—to entice people to buy them.
Shop owners had to have something that would look handsome in their stores, and be impressive to the customers, so the cash register was designed to be beautiful and give the look of success. The registers became status symbols for the store owner. And more than that, they represented American ingenuity at its finest, when assembly line production was in its infancy.
Cash register collecting isn’t nearly as widespread as collecting china, stamps or coins, but those who do it have a certain passion for their subject. If you want to get started collecting vintage cash registers, you’ll want to look at registers manufactured before 1917 or 1918. The beginning of World War I also started a metal shortage in America that limited the use of brass in cash register design, among other things. So registers produced during this time were plain and boxy, with no real ornamentation. That caught on, and the look from then on was merely functional rather than beautiful.
Early registers like the Ritty are prized by collectors because they were the first and gave way to great strides in the technology that changed cash register design almost immediately. Many collectors enjoy purchasing very old registers and restoring them to functionality. If you can find a beautiful brass register, polish it and restore it, you’ll have a true conversation piece that will look good anywhere in your home. Unlike many antiques and collectibles, a cash register is typically worth more when it’s restored than when it’s in its original condition, unless its original condition is excellent. Restoration should bring the register as close to its original condition as possible.
There are societies dedicated to cash register collection where you can research manufacturers and find which are more collectible, and shops and organizations that can help you purchase original parts to restore these registers. Antique shops and online auctions are great places to find beautiful registers for your unique collection.
Originally posted 2008-12-11 05:00:12. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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