Providing a home for our stray coins, piggy banks have been around since before the establishment of banks.
But why “piggy”?
Believe it or not, our money-saving friends date back more than 600 years and came about in the 15th century. During that time, people would use pots and jars made of pygg clay to store their money. Until the Middle Ages, ‘pygg’ was pronounced as ‘pug.’ As the English language evolved, the pronunciation eventually changed to ‘pig.’ English potters in the 19th century began to play on the pronunciation, leading to the creation of pig-shaped banks. Since then, piggy banks have taken on many forms and are an icon of financial literacy.
Our piggy banks
Throughout our 150 years, Jewett City Savings Bank has created and given away many unique piggy banks. Some examples include coin sorters, book-shaped banks, a car bank, and a yellow coin safe. Today’s piggy bank resembles our financial literacy mascot Stash McCash, who came about in 2015 to help kids learn more about banking, managing money, and fiscal responsibility.
Stay tuned as we share more throwbacks from the past 150 years.
And share with us your stories and memories of Jewett City Savings Bank!
Source: The Financial Brand
