Antique Pottery Still Penny Bank Two Tone Pig or Piggy Marked with Letters Numbers
Description: This is an antique glazed pottery penny bank in the form of a pig standing on all four legs. This bank is glazed and colored in several brown and gray or off-white tones on the top half of the animal, is solid gray or off-white on the bottom half and is unglazed legs/feet. The pig has four short legs that are not glazed and not all equal in length and as such the pig wobbles slightly. The piggy bank shows the pig's ears, the eyes as holes and it has a snout. The eyes are round holes that are open to the inside cavity. The bank has the coin slot on the pig's back on top. We believe this bank to be an antique bank made in the 1880s. See Page 92, bank number 633 in Andy and Susan Moore's book "The Penny Bank Book, Collecting Still Banks" published Schiffer Publishing Ltd. of Exton, PA in 1984 for a similar example. The bank is marked on the bottom with what we believe is a series of numbers possibly 17A, what looks like the letter B and what looks like the greek letter "Pi" stamped on the pig's underside (see the last two photos for details). Please carefully review the photos presented as they are part and parcel of our description.
Date: Late 19th to early 20th century.
Origin: Purchased at an estate auction in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Size: The bank is ~4 1/8" long, ~2 1/4" wide, is ~2 1/2" high to the top of the pig's back, and is ~2 5/8" at its highest to the top of the ears. The piece weighs ~5 ounces.
Maker: Unknown.
Marks: Marked with letter and numbers stamped on the bank's underside.
Distinguishing Characteristics - Most Interesting About The Piece: This is a very nice antique pottery bank that is in very good condition despite the fact that it has been around for over 100 years. Definitely would make a great addition to any collection of still penny banks.
Condition: The bank, which was a toy, is in very good condition with no cracks, no repairs, or hairlines. The bank has general crazing to the glaze. The piece also has a few minor and small flakes to the glaze on top of the pig along the coin slot. These can be seen in the photos. The unglazed portion is a bit soiled, has some small scratches and minor original defects which occurred during the making. In addition, the pig's four short legs are not all equal in length and as such the pig wobbles slightly. The piece also has a few of the defects you would expect in an old piece of pottery such as pops, areas where the glaze did not fully flow, slubs, and uneven areas. This piece has very few of those but they are there. Be that as it may, the piece is in great condition and looks great. Please see photos for additional condition information.
