Want to store the spare change in great style?
At $7,500, this cast brass piggy bank by Graham Parker Ansell isn't going to find a lot of buyers - even though "hidden chimes sound upon deposit of coins." But my goodness, isn't a wonderful piece? Update on July 9, 2012: I'm no longer finding any place to buy this piece — or any web site for the artist.
But moving on to the land of the more affordable, there's this vintage elephant money box, from Kay Loves Vintage. Update on July 9, 2012: Kay Loves Vintage has sold this item, but it was made by Luigi Colani. If you search, you can almost always find someone selling one. You can also find what look like the Colani elephant banks — although they aren't identified as such — at Present&Correct.
Mexico Primativo features banks in the form of many different animals; this goat piggy bank is my favorite. Update on July 9, 2012: The site that sold these doesn't seem to be working.
Or what about a hen bank? Update on July 9, 2012: The site selling this one is having some problems, too.
And at The Pig Pen, you can get a piggy bank painted to resemble a lion, a tiger, a giraffe, a panda bear, and much more.
Related Posts:
Conquering the Coin Clutter
A Piggy Bank Menagerie
Piggy Banks: Beyond the Menagerie
Helping You Save: Coin Banks and Money Boxes
What a Pig! Piggy Banks and Money Boxes Worth a Look
5 comments:
Fabulous choices, Jeri!
I think the most important think about a piggy bank is the ability to get the money out without damaging the bank...it's hard to believe, but lots of banks used to be designed so that you had to crack them open and destroy them to get the money out--definitely a disincentive given how we tend to anthropomorphize the banks with animal features. Who would want to "hurt" the piggy? Sure, you'd save for a while, but if you realized getting your money back would "kill" the piggy, you'd either stop saving or forever postpone the gratification of buying your goal item. An inconvenient stopper is better.
I had a red ceramic gorilla bank instead of a piggy bank when growing up, and I was practically obsessive about putting all my money in it, shaking it up and imagining that clunking sound was the vocalization of a happy gorilla. (I was three--you can rationalize a lot at that age.) It gave me a lifelong appreciation for saving for a goal, and though Mr. MonkeyMoney (don't laugh) is far away and likely guarding only about seven cents now, he served his purpose. :-)
I was in love with that first piggy bank until I saw the price. Ouch! It's beautiful, though. No. 2 is great, too.
Julie raises a good point about ease of extraction. I would hate to crack open any of these, even for a hefty pile of change.
These are so fun! I have a piggy bank that my mom had since I was a little girl (and maybe before that) which was an olive jar with a coin slot in the lid. I'm not sure how long this will be available but you can see one just like it here
Julie, that's a very good point about wanting a bank with a stopper. And Mr. MonkeyMoney is a wonderful name - such great alliteration! I have no memory of a piggy bank from my childhood; I either didn't have one, or it was totally forgettable - unlike yours!
Simpler Living, I loved #1, too - he's totally the kind of thing I would buy, if the price tag weren't so high.
Janet, thanks for the pointer - that's something I've never seen before! Like Julie, you certainly had a memorable childhood bank.
These are super fun! Pigs are still my favorite, so I definitely like the last bank. =)
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