Collector's Corner: Piggy Banks

There are all kinds of coin banks, from the mechanical cast-iron specimens often seen on PBS Antiques Roadshow to the sundry ceramic pieces available at almost any drug, gift, or discount store. (I collect the ones shaped like cats!) But the most popular are the Piggy Banks.

So, why a pig? There are two competing theories. One is that it is a derivative of pygg, an orange clay used in pottery. The other is that in many societies a pig was considered a family's "food bank" and a symbol of good luck. Of course, most people today don't keep pigs, but they do collect the banks.

Piggy banks come in all types of materials and sizes, from miniatures that can accept just a few dimes to specimens up to 24 inches or more! Most are ceramic (earthenware, porcelain, china, etc.), but they are also often made of glass, metal (cast iron, copper, tin, silver, gold, etc.), plaster, wood, and even Lexan!

Older "old-fashioned" pigs had to be smashed to retrieve any savings, but most piggys today posses the more familiar hole from which to extricate the coins, allowing the bank to be reused multiple times.

Note: if you have a plugless bank and have been unable to remove any coins it contains, try inserting a butter knife in the slot, turning the pig upside-down, and giving it a slight shake. It works for me.

The plugs for the holes are usually made of rubber, plastic, or cork. It is not uncommon to find banks at yard and rummage sales that are missing their plugs, but that usually has little effect on value as a generic plug can easily be replaced simply by using a similar one from a damaged bank of which there are also many.

Of course, most people would love to have antique pig banks in their collections, but many prefer to seek out a particular material, country of origin, company logo, or maker, just to name a few areas of concentration. Some of the better-known potteries, including Wedgwood, Wade, and Hummel, have produced pig banks that are all highly collectible.

So, how much can you expect to spend to add a particularly nice piece to your collection? At present, Hummels are selling from $85 to 200+; if it's a Hull miniature dime bank, it could cost you up to $200, while the Wade pigs issued by the National Westminster bank in England can easily demand up to $400 and more.

Values - which are, of course, dependent on factors like rarity and condition - can and do fluctuate over time, but if you seek out the best examples of what you like, you can't go wrong.


From Michele Alice.