Circa 1901: Designed by virtuoso bank inventor Charles A. Bailey for Cromwell, Connecticut’s J. & E. Stevens Company, the Magician Bank is based on the timeless vanishing rabbit trick. When one places a coin under the magician’s top hat and presses the lever, the hat covers the coin, and the coin “magically disappears,” sliding down a cleverly designed (and hard to detect) chute. Upon the lever’s release, the magician raises his hat, revealing an empty table. This ingenious optical illusion was sure to delight its young turn of the century owners and help them save their change for that proverbial rainy day.