10 fun facts about piggy banks

Piggy banks have traditionally been used to save coins to accumulate savings. Today's piggy banks are made of all kinds of materials including clay, plastic, and glass and are not solely designed in the shape of a pig; it is common to find other animals or shapes that are still referred to as piggy banks. Others are more creative.


Even in this digital age we live in, many parents introduce their children to the concept of saving money by giving them a piggy bank where they can deposit coins they receive. Even adults still use piggy banks as well.

10 fun facts about piggy banks you may not know

1. The history of piggy banks dates back centuries. It is often said the use of these shapely banks dates way back to the 5th century.

2. Savings jars are believed to originally be crafted from "pygg" which is a type of orange clay.

3. In archaeological excavations of Greek and Roman civilizations, evidence of containers where people collected coins has been found.

4. Other names for piggy banks are money boxes or penny banks.

5. Over the years "pygg" evolved to mimic the original term with the like-sounding "pig" is a popular theory of how the piggy bank got its name.

6. In time, money boxes were designed to be shaped and have faces like pigs and the name "piggy bank" was eventually dubbed. It is widely believed this occurred somewhere during the 18th century.

7. In the 1870s, many money containers were made of metal and constructed to look like traditional banking institutions.

8. Traditional piggy banks once had to be broken apart in order to be opened, although some used a knife to pull their money out.

9. Modern piggy banks usually have a way to empty the bank without breaking it, this way they can be used again and again.

10. Styles of piggy banks today range from the simple to the sophisticated.

Do you use a piggy bank? If so, what type do you prefer? Traditional, quirky or just plain cute?

Are you thinking of buying one? Did you know they even come in a digital version? Not only do you not have to break your piggy anymore, it does the counting for you.



Additional sources:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Piggy_Bank.aspx
http://www.piggybankpage.co.uk/piggy_bank_history.htm
http://mentalfloss.com/article/54443/why-do-we-put-money-piggy-banks

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