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.

Mechanical Banks 

The Official Price Guide to Mechanical Banks

Amazon Price: $18.96 (as of 12/20/2009) Buy Now

A Penny Saved: Still and Mechanical Banks

Amazon Price: (as of 12/20/2009) Buy Now

American Genius: Nineteenth Century Bank Locks and Time Locks

Amazon Price: $95.00 (as of 12/20/2009) Buy Now

The Penny Bank Book (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

Amazon Price: $37.96 (as of 12/20/2009) Buy Now

Penny Banks Around the World

Amazon Price: $37.96 (as of 12/20/2009) Buy Now

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.

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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Piggy Banks 

Teach Your Children to Save 

Savings 

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Teach your children to save. 

Making Allowances: A Dollars and Sense Guide to Teaching Kids About Money

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How To Teach Kids To Be Millionaires

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Kids, Parents & Money: Teaching Personal Finance from Piggy Bank to Prom

Amazon Price: $21.95 (as of 12/20/2009) Buy Now

Money Matters 

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About the Author 

Lensmaster ElizabethJeanAllen has been a member since March 16 2008, has rated 4,014 lenses, favorited 445, and has created 200 lenses from scratch. Lizzy Jean donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "2009 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments". 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 12/20/2009)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.

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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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