STARKIE'S JOLLY NIGGER BANK - ORIGINAL IDENTIFIED v. OLD REPRODUCTION

In the process of liquidating a living estate, we came upon a rare and original Starkie's Jolly Nigger (Moves Ears) Mechanical Bank. The bank was patented in 1920 by Robert Eastwood Starkie of Burnley, England (British Pat No 152,588). All known banks were made of Aluminum. In 1945, a patent was issued to Robert Patterson Starkie for a similar bank. This is the bank that is most often seen in Antique and Collectible circles and is often mistaken for the original from 1920, even by major auction houses. At first glance from the front, the banks look identical. However, there are at least 8 differences:
1) Original: Ears are located closer to the eyes. A "V" shaped section from the back half of the casting fits into a "V" groove in the front half. Later Version: Ears are located in the middle of the castings.
2) Original: Back has the inscription: "Starkie's Pat No 152,588" Later Version: Blank back.
3) Original: Base plate has circular holes and is unmarked. Later Version: Base plate has square waffle type holes and is inscribed: "Reg. No 844,290 Starkie's Pat No 32,537 Patented in Foreign Countries"
4) Original: Holes in the back of the head. Later version: No holes in the back of the head.
5) Original: Moving the ears cannot make the arm move up. Later Version: Moving the ears makes the arm move up.
6) Original: Bow tie and ears are larger that the Later Version.
7) Original: Thumb is part of one casting of hand. Later Version: Thumb is separate casting from hand.
8) Original: Right arm is raised up a bit from the elbow. Later Version: Right arm is not raised up from the elbow.

So...you can see that identifying the 2 Starkie's banks is easy, but, as a practice not done in the antique world.