A Place for Your Coins: Piggy Banks and Money Pots

The tradition with a terramundi pot is that every time you have a new one, you write down a wish, and put that in with your first coin. — Ruth Dawkins, writing on Offbeat Home

I first wrote about Terramundi money pots back in 2007, but reading Ruth’s wonderful story of her own eight pots made me look at them again. One nice change since 2007: I can now find stores in the U.S. selling these. The North Carolina Museum of Art and Catching Fireflies both have a small selection; The Cameleer has a large selection, but you must wait 2-3 weeks for delivery. Update on April 17, 2019: The North Carolina Museum of Art no longer has these in its online shop.

I also discovered there’s another version of how the wishes are handled: “Once the first coin is dropped the money pot must be fed until full upon which time it must be smashed whilst making a wish.”




And I discovered you can get the undecorated terra cotta pots — although it’s a bit difficult if you aren’t in Italy. You can also buy something similar from Portugal.




Finally, I discovered this gorgeous version from Macchietta.handmade in Rimini, Italy — available via Etsy. Update on April 17, 2019: I'm no longer finding this product.




But what if you don’t want a pot you must break to get your money out? Well, you could get a lovely piggy bank from Michèle Hastings Pottery. She has a variety of colors and patterns, but my favorite is this copper and turquoise combination.




With this handmade piggy bank, the pig’s rear end gets removed to provide easy access to your coins.




This lovely piggy bank was made in Mexico by Eva Servin; there’s a cork stopper in the base. I don’t usually show vintage pieces, but I just couldn’t resist this one. Update on April 17, 2019: The site that had this piggy bank has disappeared.




And finally, for something very different, here’s Feed Your Dream felt piggy bank from Baum-Kuchen! There’s a “brass zipper on the bottom of the pig’s belly” to remove the coins. [via Better Living Through Design] Update on April 17, 2019: I'm no longer finding this bank on the web.

Related Posts:
Conquering the Coin Clutter
A Piggy Bank Menagerie
Helping You Save: Coin Banks and Money Boxes
What a Pig! Piggy Banks and Money Boxes Worth a Look
6 Splendid Banks: Piggies and More
Beyond the Piggy Bank: Tzedkah Boxes
Piggy Banks and Money Boxes: Homes for the Spare Change
Today's Top 10 Piggy Banks
Piggy Banks: A Home for Your Spare Change