Paper Mache Pig Candy Container

This fun collection of 19thc cast iron irons are most unusual and very hard to find. These irons were probably like salesman samples or children's. largest miniature sat iron measur...

Original German made Steiff Bear with glass eyes. The original tag is in place and in tact. Steiff is know for well made Toy bears that are jointed and hav...

Antique Fairground Paper Mache Sculpture of a Witch or Farmer's Wive A large half-relief sculpture of the witch from the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. Probably used as decoration in...

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...