Florence Pretz of Kansas City, Missouri, was an art teacher and illustrator. She claims that the gnome-like character "Billiken" came to her in a dream—and by 1908, Pretz had secured a design patent on her creation, "the god of things as they ought to be." She marketed the little guy as a good luck token—informing the public that to give one was lucky, but to receive one was even more lucky. Today, Billiken stands as the mascot of the Jesuit college Saint Louis University (and its affiliated high school). This little bank was made in the 1910's or 1920's. Please click on the photo above to learn more about it.
LEO Design's Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed. While we contemplate our next shop location, please visit our on-line store which continues to operate (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
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