From Mechanical Banks to Piggy Banks
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Saving for a rainy day is a time honored tradition.
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.
Mechanical Banks
One penny, two...
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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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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Piggy Banks
Teach Your Children to Save
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Teaching Children to Save
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Teaching our children how to manage their money is a vital part of their education. In our spend-happy society, it's too easy to put off saving until tomorrow. Pennies are small and relatively insignificant, but like our children, they grow. The penn...
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Raising Financially Responsible Children
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Our children need to learn how to handle their money. We as parents know that it is a vital part of their education. Are we correct in assuming that they will learn these life skills in school? The answer to that question is no. The education system...
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Coin Collecting for Kids
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I started Collecting Coins as a child and started my children collecting coins when they were young as well. It is a thrilling hobby that can also be used as a starting point for many different educational explorations. Finance is the obvious one, bu...
Savings
Teach your children to save.
Money Matters
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Living Within Your Means
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During these uncertain economic times, the average citizen is cutting back on their spending determined not to add to their debt load. They've cut back on their driving and added a few accessories to last year's wardrobe rather than buy a new one. Fo...
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Beginners Guide to Coin Collecting
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I started collecting coins as a child and have continued to do so throughout my adult life. Most coin collectors slide into the hobby without conscious thought. They find a coin that interests them, a wheat penny found in the change in their pocket o...
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Wheat Pennies
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The Lincoln Wheat Cent, commonly referred to as a Wheat Penny was the United States one-cent coin from 1909 to 1958. It was the first United States coin to bear a portrait rather than a version of the mythical Liberty. President Roosevelt ordered the...
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.
Posted April 26, 2009
vanidiana wrote...
Hi, great lens...! My 5* for you and I've lensrolled it on my Piggy Bank lens!
Posted April 16, 2009
jenn_halls wrote...
I loved learning about the pig (pygg) got started! Thanks!
Posted February 13, 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.
Posted January 10, 2009
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)
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.
by ElizabethJeanAllen
I tell my students to Learn from the Past, Live in the Present, and Plan for the Future. With Squidoo I can do all three.
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