Collection of more than 400 piggy banks to be exhibited

Collection of more than 400 piggy banks to be exhibited at the Museum of Savings in Norwich


The piggy bank has been introducing youngsters to the idea of saving cash for more than a century – and is now to be celebrated with its own museum. 

A collection of more than 400 pots for stashing spare pennies will be exhibited at the Museum of Savings in Norwich later this year. 

Curator James Blower, founder of savings website Money Guru, is keen to share his life-long obsession with collecting piggy banks – and believes the history of saving loose change deserves to be recognised at a time when cash as a payment form is under threat. 

Piggy in the middle: Curator James Blower, founder of savings website Money Guru, is keen to share his life-long obsession with collecting piggy banks

Currently, the collection is stored at James’s home, but he has now found a space situated in an old bank premises where he hopes to exhibit them from this autumn or early next year. He says: ‘Banks and building societies traditionally used to give piggy banks to children as an encouragement to open a savings account into which they could put their pocket money.’ 

He adds: ‘Sadly, these days youngsters are more likely to be found using a smartphone app rather than saving real cash. 

‘The piggy bank should be celebrated and at the heart of learning how to save. This collection offers a nostalgic look at its history.’ Among the oldest pieces in his collection is a 1911 Yorkshire Penny Bank hollow tin coin. His favourite is a grasshopper pot from Martins Bank in the 1950s before it became part of Barclays. 

High street banks are currently pushing people to bank online and stop using cash which means few provide piggy banks for their customers. 

But there are exceptions. These include Metro which offers a red ‘M’ piggy bank. Building society Darlington offers a train called Darley that can be added to with train carriages if you save enough – while Saffron offers a purple ladybird bank. 

The origins of the piggy bank go back to the 15th Century when people used pots made of a clay called ‘pygg’ to hold their coins. Often the pots were shaped as pigs as a humorous nod to its origins.