Paper composite Folk Art

American pottery still bank in the shape of a pig, used for saving coins (usually pennies) to encourage children the importance of thrift. Pottery still banks are somewhat scarce since the typical way to remove coins was to smash the bank open, albeit, with this particular example, perhaps a knife was used for coin removal (note the wear to the coin slot---see images) or perhaps the additional wear is also from many coins having been deposited. The bank is in good all original condition , from an unknown potter (unmarked) circa 1880's, and probably a variant of #633 "Two Toned Pig" in Andy Moore's "The Penny Bank Book" written in 1984 when collecting pottery banks...

Fabulous cast iron Owl bank with a turning head coin lever and glass eyes. Lot of the original paint still intact. Missing the lock on the underside, not visi...

A 1950's rare original James Ensor style papier mâché theatre head. This item was obtained via a private collection (France).

Lots of charm and good condition for this 19th century papier mâché toy horse on wheels.

Vintage Raj Hand-Crafted Stuffed Cotton Embroidered Elephant, India, 1950. Anglo Raj vintage hand-crafted stuffed cotton embroidered elephant, India, 1950. Handmade in Rajasthan, India, colorful fabric elephant toy. Vintage small elephant stuffed cotton embroidered and decorated with small mirrors, great collector piece. Anglo Raj, small stuffed elephant...

Offered for sale is a very traditional Folk Art item; a handcrafted Noah's Ark toy with 34 hand-painted and hand-carved animals (includes Noah and Naamah). The flat bottom ark indica...

Charming French handmade wooden toy car, most likely dating from the late 1930s or the 1940s. Entirely handcrafted in wood, this unusual piece reflects the ingenuity and resourceful...

In the late 19th century the concept of thrift became a principle by which parents encouraged their children to safe money by putting their pennies into a "piggy bank", thus the proliferation of these items by pottery manufacturers, this particular example marked "SS" on the underneath indicating "A Smith Ltd.", Longton, England whose ceramic, china, and pottery business began in 1846 by Sampson Smith. Nicely molded and in excellent condition, this proverbial pig themed penny bank is painted overall white with a multiplicity of green "spatter" spots, the pig standing on all fours has a twisted tail in back. The original finish is beautifully glazed resulting in a lovely patina to this completely original bank with no restoration or touch up paint of any kind and all of it's original hand paint intact. Since these type of antique banks typically were made without a coin removal trap, the only way to extract the coins would have been the old "knife in the slot" method and retrieving the pennies one by one; or the more simpler method of smashing and breaking the bank, which is why locating these banks is very difficult, rendering a fine example particularly rare. This example is a wonderful addition to a collection of authentic still banks, folk art, or for those who accumulate pig items. This recently came from an estate collection of pig still banks. A similar example is referenced as #633 "Two Toned Pig" in Andy Moore's "The Penny Bank Book" written in 1984 when collecting pottery banks...

This collection contains soldiers and guards and other English and French regiments in various poses, with weapons and different uniforms. All figures are hand painted and are standi...

Vintage French Skittle Game ‘Jeu de Quilles de Neuf’,circa 1920. Hand painted, turned pins with wonderful aged patina. Complete set of nine pins with orig...

Vintage small embroidered leather elephant ornament India. Asian red and blue handcrafted small leather stuffed elephant collectible toy. Dimensions: 5 x 2 x 3 inches. Great to use a...

Hand made wooden bowling balls with thumb and finger grips carved out of the wood. Slightly varying size and patina for each ball as well as some being painted blue while others are ...