Unusual Early American Folk Art Still Bank detailed wooden box Sold as a pair

Sold as a pair

) I just love

) dealer I purchased this from thought likely early 1800s

especially due to the smooth black fabric inside

For me part of the fun is that it is also a sort of a puzzle

Unusual Early American Folk Art Still Bank detailed wooden box Sold as a pairThis is quite an old one, early 19th c. American believe, and also an unusual one, with a whimsy sort of feel, and also a sense of mystery about it. It is a carved still bank, which also feels like a piece of tabletop architecture, with round cylinder at the center framed by three "walls" and two posts, and with a sliding slat that pulls out to expose the slit for dropping coins inside. I find it curiously compelling, and like a distillation of the