In 1879 inventors Louis Kyser and Alfred C. Rex joined their creative talents to create the Kyser & Rex Company of Frankfort, Pennsylvania. The business was the manufacture of patented hardware, specialties and novelties of all kinds in iron, brass and bronze to include mechanical banks, still banks and bell-ringer toys. Their bank and toy ingenuity was pushed to an even higher level through the later assistance of Rudolph Hunter, a mechanical engineer and attorney. Beside the main office of the firm at Frankfort they have branches at 413 Commerce Street, Philadelphia, 104 Chambers Street, New York, No. 60 Lake street, Chicago, and No. 100 California Street, San Francisco. They employ regularly about 125 hands, and at times many more. The output approximates from $100,000 to $150,00 a year. In 1884 Louis Kyser left the firm and the company’s name was soon changed to Alfred C. Rex & Company and was also known as ‘Variety Iron Works’. Rex later licensed production of his patented banks to other manufacturers when A.C Rex & Company closed their doors in 1899.
