Piggy Banks

 


Following on from last month’s article about the 40th anniversary of the pound coin, this short article is about the history of the piggy bank.

The term, “Piggy Bank” was first citied in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1913.

Notably piggy banks are either made from porcelain or ceramics and one of the earliest ones dates from around the 2nd century BC was found in the Greek city of Priene, which is shaped like a Greek temple with a slit in the pediment. The earliest example shaped like a pig was discovered on the island Indonesian island of Java and dates from about the 12 century.

In the 15th century, people would use household equipment, such as plates and pots in order to store what little money they had.  These utensils were made from cheap clay, known as pygg.  Words over time have changed and their pronunciation likewise, pygg changed to pug, and then this would have changed to pig.

As the word changed, potters began shaping the pygg pots to resemble pigs, starting a trend.  Over time, people forgot that pygg referred to clay, and during the 19th century it was the norm that pots were shaped like pigs, in which people could keep their money.

In some countries pigs represent good fortune, so gifts are often pig shaped as a symbol of prosperity. In the Chinese zodiac, a pig is a symbol of wealth and prosperity and giving a piggy bank is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the recipient, it also encourages saving and financial responsibility that are important values in Chinese culture.


Copyright - The Bay Magazine, May 2023

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