From Mechanical Banks to Piggy Banks

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Saving for a rainy day is a time honored tradition.

Save five pennies and you have a nickel, five nickels and you have a quarter. Four quarters can be turned into a dollar. Every generation has stressed the importance of saving to the next. Times have changed, but the basics have remained the same. We save for the future one penny at a time.

Mechanical Banks 

Mechanical banks first appeared on the market in the late 1800's. A patent for Halls Excelsior was filed in 1869. Since then, over 400 distinct types of mechanical banks and hundreds of variations have been produced. When one manufacturer produced a bank that gained popularity, another would copy it. The Mechanical Banks were toys and they were amusing, but the intent was to teach children how to be thrifty.

The Mechanical Bank gain popularity shortly after WW II. Foundries started producing them as a sideline. As the competition increased, the manufacturers strove to make their banks more complex than the competitor's. Depending on a series of levers, springs, and wheels, the characters depicted on the bank performed a stunt every time a coin was dropped into it.

One penny, two... 

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Mechanical Banks 

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Still Banks 

Still banks were the first toy banks to be mass produced in the United States. They had no moving parts and usually depicted buildings, animals and people.

Vintage Iron Banks 

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Know what you're buying. 

Whether you are a serious collector or collect banks for fun, understanding exactly what you are buying is essential. For more information of still iron banks and mechanical banks, click on the websites listed below.

Mechanical Bank Collectors of America

Collectors Bank on Mechanical Toys

Toys as History

Mechanical Banks: Antique Toys

Is it a Piggy Bank or a Pygg Jar? 

Did you know that the piggy in the piggy bank has little to do with pigs?

Pottery has existed for centuries. In the old days most people were poor and metal was expensive, but clay was cheap. Pygg was the cheapest type of clay so it was used in household wares and such. As the quality of pottery improved, the pygg jars were replaced with new jars. Unlike in today society, people didn't automatically throw away items that were replaced. The old jars were used to store extra coins, buttons and such. After a time, the original meaning for pygg was lost. So when a nineteenth century potter got a request for a pygg bank, he assumed the customer wanted a piggy bank and the first piggy bank was born.

Vintage Piggy Banks 

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Was your piggy bank a piggy? 

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Teach Your Children to Save 

Savings 

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Money Matters 

What are your thoughts on saving? 

JaguarJulie wrote...

You know, it's amazing just how much $$$ a piggy bank can contain! We save our coins in a large glass jar.

ReplyPosted April 26, 2009

vanidiana wrote...

Hi, great lens...! My 5* for you and I've lensrolled it on my Piggy Bank lens!

ReplyPosted April 16, 2009

jenn_halls wrote...

I loved learning about the pig (pygg) got started! Thanks!

ReplyPosted February 13, 2009

tdove wrote...

Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!

ReplyPosted January 29, 2009

rms wrote...

There's just smething about a real piggy bank that gets to me. I love them and I don't know why! Great lens.

ReplyPosted January 10, 2009

 
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About the Author 

Lensmaster ElizabethJeanAllen, aka Lizzy Jean, has been a member since March 16 2008, has rated 3,690 lenses, favorited 454, and has created 169 lenses from scratch. Lizzy Jean donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "The Mallard Duck". See all my lenses

Coins and Other Currency: A Kid's Guide to Coin Collecting 

Coins and Other Currency: A Kid's Guide to Coin Collecting (Robbie Readers)

Amazon Price: $26.95 (as of 07/11/2009)Buy Now

Coins and Other Currency is an excellent means of teaching children about the world of finance. It starts with a collection of old coins and then branches out into metals and how coins are made, the history of money, and starting your own collection. Coins and Other Currency is both entertaining and educational.