Piggy bank

[Mihai]

Hey everybody,

I just came from my dump and this is what I want to show you. There were no coins unfortunately, or maybe this is for good as nobody tried to brake it.

 

[Mihai]

And another angle.

 

[zanes_antiques]

that pig is a great find!

 

[Mihai]

Thanks Zane, I also think this is an good, unusual find. I was quite amazed to find it in a victorian dump, 5 foot deep into the dirt. I thought these are a recent way of saving money but now I found out they are on the market for a few hundreds of years. Not necessary in this piggy shape, but as a concept.

 

[lexdigger]

That would have gave me a heart attack! I would have thought I had a Berkshire "pig" Bitters!!! Once I found out what it was I would have been heartbroken. Still a great dig though. Would look nice displayed with some other stoneware. Chris Capley

 

[capsoda]

Hey Mihai, Great find man. I guess if you are going to have a pig for a pet that would be the best kind. Also it can be use for future generations of Feroiu.

 

[Mihai]

Hey Warren, if you could see the way my dog eats you would have the same doubts as me. Was he switched at birth with a piglet? And another thing. He is the first dog I've ever had who is not cleaning his backdoor. As disgusting as it is to do this cleaning, if not done is even worst. But I love the little stinker.

 

[Trying not to break it]

hi mihai, that is sooooo cool. i would love to find one of them. good luck, rhona

 

[welddigger]

That may not be the most valuable piece of pottery dug but it is the coolest piece ever dug. That little piggy is awesome, I was just wondering what part of the country you got it in and around what time period in the dump, if you could tell?

 

[Mihai]

Hey Rhona and Welddigger. Thank you for your interest.

What is surprising with this piece of pottery is the design in itself. Now I know that is called Austrian piggy bank because it was done in Austria or Cech Republic between 1880 and 1920, but in that time Cech Republic was part of Austro-Hungarian Empire, hence the name.

To come back, this design, with a very simple line, is unusual for the time, more common in 20th Century, once the rebels took over the art in all its forms. But all I found in this dump is to the end of 19th Century the newest. This simple shape remainds me of the Abstractionism, developed much later. Check the work of Brancusi, by far the most known romanian artist. If I would find now in shops something with the same kind of design I would think about it that is modern.

I checked on US Ebay and they were sold recently for 20 to 60 USD. In a different auction house it reached $125. Not bad for an empty money box.

And, Welddigger, I found it in a dump near my house in England. I didn't find any for sale on UK Ebay but quite a few on the American, so they were exported over there more than here.