The other day I found myself making some piggy banks, and it got me to thinking…who ever thought of the idea of a piggy bank? Thank goodness, for the internet, with answers to questions at our finger tips.

From The FinancialBrand.com

“The origin of piggy banks dates back nearly 600 years, in a time before real banks even existed. Before the creation of modern-style banking institutions, people commonly stored their money at home — not under the mattress (or hay rack), but in common kitchen jars. During The Middle Ages, metal was expensive and seldom used for household wares. Instead, dishes and pots were made of an economical orange-colored clay called pygg. Whenever folks could save an extra coin or two, they dropped it into one of their clay jars — a pygg pot.” (https://thefinancialbrand.com/24204/history-of-piggy-banks/)

The piggy banks I made, started with 24 ounces of clay. From the original size, clay shrinks a lot more than you would expect – about 20% from start to finish. The original bodies of the pigs were about 8 inches long – the final bodies were about 6 inches long! After they are slowly dried for a day or two, legs, ears and eyes are added, giving them each their individual character. A slot is added on their back for money to be deposited, and a hole cut in their belly for withdrawals.

After a week of further drying, they are put in the kiln and cooked to 1900 degrees fahrenheit. This is called a bisque fire, and prepares them for the final glaze firing. I wanted to glaze them in a pale pink glaze recipe I found on the internet, but being an impatient kind of person, rather than testing the glaze first, I decided to plunge ahead and cross my fingers that the glaze would be the right color. While it is not pink, not close to what I expected, the gray color works, so my gamble worked out ok.  I think I need to add more chrome, so I will do some more testing before I use it again. To glaze the pig, he is dunked in a bucket of glaze, which is basically powdered glass, and then I paint a flower on his rump using underglazes.  The final glaze firing cooks the pigs to 2200 or so degrees fahrenheit.

Piggy banks are just one of the many functional, practical things that can be made with clay. Not only is it fun to work with clay have you checked out all the different workshops I offer?) Click here to learn more. Hand made ceramic pottery also makes a great gift, either for yourself, or maybe someone you know.

Do you find money in your washing machine? Used to happen to me, because I rarely used to check pockets when I do laundry. Always assumed people would put their dirty clothes in the hamper after they emptied their pockets. I used to keep a jar in the laundry room, into which all things collected from the washer would go. I wish I had one of these cute little piggy banks to store on the bathroom counter instead.

Maybe you have a young child learning about money? This is a way to help them understand the value of saving. The corked hole on the belly of the pig allows easy withdrawal, with out the trauma of having to smash the pig to get at the contents.

To buy one of these pigs, click here:

Piggy banks are fun to make because they do not require trimming. While they are more labor intensive to make, it is fun to see a row of them, with their expressive faces smiling back.