-Albany Slip Bank- still bank c. 1820

Curator: Oh, my first impression is that this bank is almost edible! It has such a pleasing honeyed glaze to it. Editor: Indeed! You are looking at the "Albany Slip Bank", made of ceramic, dating back to around 1820 in the United States. Curator: Anonymous artist, huh? I feel like it's almost shouting with its round layers. Did this just sit on a shelf for a while, whispering "Save me"? Editor: Perhaps! The stacked form does make you wonder. Bank designs can reveal our changing attitudes toward money. In early America, saving wasn't necessarily just about accumulating wealth, but about thrift and character building, themes very strong at that time. Curator: True. I bet that glaze and those little ridges also invited touch—an almost subconscious encouragement to engage and invest in that financial virtue. Editor: Exactly. The Albany slip, a type of clay, became highly popular in American stoneware for its rich color and durability, suggesting reliability, the type of material you’d trust to safeguard your savings! Curator: Makes me wonder, do we still feel the same connection to physical objects that represent our wealth? Now it's all just digits on screens...less pottery, more phantom. Editor: You bring up an interesting point. Maybe these early banks acted as a tangible metaphor—slow accumulation yielding satisfying results. We no longer see where that savings goes; it’s not here, tucked into our homes! Curator: So, this little bank...more than meets the eye, I guess. Editor: Absolutely, and an important relic as part of the history of economic thinking. And how everyday virtue was cultivated.