allpiggybanks.com

A Brief History of Piggy Banks

There are many stories about how piggy banks were invented.

Money boxes have existed as long as money has. People would keep gold or silver coins in vessels including jars, pots or kettles made of clay or metal.

In England, there existed a type of clay known as ‘pygg’, which was pronounced like the word ‘pug’ in modern-day English. Following the ‘Great Vowel Shift’, English pronunciation changed and the word came to sound exactly like the animal we call a pig.

Anyhow, the story goes that an English glazier was asked to make “pygg Jars”, but misunderstood the request and instead, created jars that were shaped like pigs. The customer liked the final product. News spread and the pig-shaped jars were widely imitated.