Unusual Early American Folk Art Still Bank antler bird with deeply carved ears popping

with deeply carved ears popping out

feeds a sense of holiness

which appear to read 86548

And what a beautiful thing

Inside is soft stuffing

Unusual Early American Folk Art Still Bank antler bird with deeply carved ears poppingThis is quite an old one, early 19th c. American believe, and also an unusual one, with a whimsy sort of feel, and also a sense of mystery about it. It is a carved still bank, which also feels like a piece of tabletop architecture, with round cylinder at the center framed by three "walls" and two posts, and with a sliding slat that pulls out to expose the slit for dropping coins inside. I find it curiously compelling, and like a distillation of the