The
Circus card is a very rare and desirable mechanical bank
trade card. Only a handful of Circus cards have survived.
The card's inherent scarceness is compounded by the thin
stock on which it was printed. From a
purely artistic point of view, this is one of the finest of
all mechanical bank cards. Several features contribute to
make this card stand out: (1) the brilliant colors are
immediately striking; (2) the scrolled design work down the
left side and midway across the top are reminiscent of
Aubrey Beardsley; (3) the "Circus Bank" lettering is
wonderfully conceived; and (4) the fanciful design and text
font used make this card look like something right out of a
children's book. The
reverse of the Circus card is blank in terms of design, but
usually has a simple dealer's or distributor's
imprint. We know
that the Circus card was issued in 1888. Unfortunately, we
don't know who printed it, as it is unsigned. It is shown
here at 85 percent of full size.
Circus