Humpy Dumpty Mechanical Coin Eater

This wonderfully eccentric vintage reproduction of “Humpy Dumpty”, a mechanical coin-eating clown, holds a very special place in Simon’s Collection.

Purchased by Simon approximately 15 years ago, this was the very first piece he ever bought — the beginning of a collecting journey that would eventually lead to the collection of curious, unusual and forgotten objects featured here today.

Based on the earlier mechanical Humpy Dumpty coin-eater, the figure features the wonderfully unsettling character of a traditional mechanical clown, complete with pointed red hat, painted face, ruff collar and outstretched hands. The open mouth is part of the original coin-eating concept, with the figure designed around the entertaining act of “feeding” the clown a coin.

This particular example has acquired plenty of honest age and wear over the years, with rubbing and losses to the painted finish that only add to its character.

For Simon, however, its importance isn’t really about condition, rarity or monetary value.

It is the first piece.

The one that started the hunt for the strange, the forgotten and the slightly odd — and ultimately led to everything that became Simon’s Collection.

An unusual little piece of mechanical Americana, but more importantly, the beginning of a 15-year collecting story.