-Money Converter (registering)- still bank c. 20th century

This small red metal box, titled -Money Converter (registering)- still bank, was made by an anonymous artist. It's got this playful, graphic sensibility to it. I’m imagining the artist bending over their workbench, carefully applying each layer of paint. What were they thinking about? Perhaps it was about the whimsy of numbers, the idea of turning something mundane, like money, into something magical. I bet that the surface feels smooth and cool to the touch, while the little details, the numbers and decorative patterns, are carefully etched. That dial invites you to turn it, doesn't it? It reminds me a little of Duchamp. There’s a whole tradition of artists making these kinds of objects, not just to make something nice but to propose an idea. Every artist works with ghosts of other artists, trading and changing ideas. What makes this box so interesting is that it suggests art doesn't have to be serious, it can be playful, even a bit silly.