Antiques -> Decorative Arts -> Ceramics, Porcelain
Ceramic piggy banks have an interesting history. Why pigs, exactly, and not bank shapes or a tiny safe? Apparently, we use pigs because of language, and a simple mistake. The word “pygg” was an old English word for an orange clay commonly used to make jars, pots, dishes, and almost anything we use ceramic for today. Extra coins in a household were commonly dropped into a jar made from pygg. Language evolved over the next few hundreds years, and in the early 19th century when some English potters were asked to make pygg banks, they made banks shaped like pigs. They were a hit with customers, and the piggy bank was born—or so the most widely believed explanation says.
One other version of the origin of the ceramic piggy bank claims that a young boy in the early 20th century wanted to raise money to help lepers. He sold his pet pig and donated the money from the sale to help leprosy victims. His generosity caused people to call it the Pig Bank Movement, thus staring the name piggy bank. A church in Kansas bears a plaque commemorating the boy and his generosity, and the piggy bank in general.
Who hasn’t had a piggy bank at some point in his or her life? Ceramic piggy banks are popular items today, and are often given to children at birth or as a first birthday gift, as an heirloom and to foster the good habit of saving money for a rainy day. Silver-plated banks are often engraved with the child’s name and date of birth or some other milestone date when given as gifts. And often tradition has the gift-giver putting the first coin into the bank before giving it as a seed for future wealth.
The value of collectible ceramic piggy banks hinges on a number of things like the age, the condition, and the significance of the design or the bank itself (did it belong so someone noteworthy, or was it created by someone famous, for instance.) What kind of piggy bank you purchases depends on whether or not you’re interested in it as a collectible, or if it’s simply because you love the design.
Vintage ceramic piggy banks can be called vintage simply because they’re not in a currently popular style. Be sure it’s not just labeled as vintage, but collectible as well, if you’re looking for an investment piece to add value to your collection. The uniqueness of the bank, and the quality and condition all figure into the price and the value.
Very old ceramic piggy banks will often have cracks, chips or crackling. If you can find a very old bank intact, you’ve probably found a nice collector piece. Just be sure to ask the seller, whether online or in person, if repairs have been made, if any chips have been glued, or if any type of re-glazing has been done to the bank. You’ll want one as close to its original condition as possible.
Originally posted 2008-10-29 14:00:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Finding Antiques and Collectibles If you are interested in the art of antiquing, then you should know that there are antiques and collectibles that you can find in all shapes, all sizes and all kinds of locations. All of these antiques and collectibles have history, a past, a story to them. People can find...... -
Greek Sculpture Antiques -> Antiquities -> Greek Greek sculptures are amazing works of art, almost all of which reside in museums or private collections. A collector would do well to find painstaking reproductions of famous sculptures, or art depicting them. The history of these art pieces is interesting, though, whether you’d like...... -
Stained Glass Windows Antiques -> Architectural and Garden -> Stained Glass Windows-> Pre-1900 Stained glass windows are more than just functional windows, they are works of art that can express exalted meanings or simply beautify a room. When you are shopping for antique stained glass, it’s important to understand the amount of time...... - Chinese Chest Antiques -> Asian -> Chinese: Chests A Chinese chest can improve the look of any room, in addition to providing storage space and serving as a conversation piece, especially if it's an antique. A chest can function as more than just storage, it can be used as a coffee or......
-
Antique Bicycles Antiques Antique bicycles, even ones as recent as the 1950s and 1960s, are highly sought out and prized among collectors today. Certain brands and types of bicycles are snapped up and restored by bike aficionados who pay far more for the bicycles than they cost when they were new. Some......
Related Websites -
Double the Income or Double the Expense Till Death Do Us Part Getting married is stressful and emotional, but when it comes to handling finances, things can get really scary. You’ll be combining two incomes in most cases and many people get the impression that they can start spending twice as much. This usually leads to double the expenses and a lot...... - The Infinite Banking Concept Fact Or Fiction? Here are the historical facts of a case study regarding a practitioner of the Infinite Banking Concept as outlined in the book, Becoming Your Own Banker, by R. Nelson Nash. A male that is 45 years of age An annual premium consisting of $30,000 being paid into a dividend......
- Obama Praises Canadian Banking System He's coming to visit Ottawa tomorrow (February 19, 2009) but it appears he's doing his homework first. Check out this piece, from an interview he did today with Canada's CBC. I'll quote part of it here in case that link disappears. Obama Praises Canadian Banking System "One of the things......
- How To Avoid Credit Card, Bank, And Airline Fees. Over at CNN/Money they have an incredible list up of all the overpriced and ridiculous fees we have to pay for everything, from credit cards to mortgages to banking to investing. This list is quite exhaustive and I have posted the list without all the information they have up. To......
-
Entitlement vs. Earning: How to Avoid Harmful Help as a Parent Photo by: law_keven The following is a guest post by Cameron C. Taylor, author of the book Does Your Bag Have Holes? 24 Truths That Lead to Financial and Spiritual Freedom "But I want it NOW!" As if yelling this over and over creates the right for a child......
