Oxford English Dictionary has the earliest known use of the term, as 'pig savings bank', in 1913, but suggests that there may be a connection to 'pig' or 'piggy' in the sense of a pot, pitcher, or jar, made of earthenware, for which it quotes Scots dialect from 1631 "reddie money in ane littell pynt pig" (ready money in a little pint pig); the sense of earthenware vessel goes back to c.1450.
Best wishes
Andrew
--
Dr. Andrew Millard [log in to unmask]
Durham University
Senior Lecturer in Archaeology Tel: +44 191 334 1147
Deputy Director of Combined Honours Tel: +44 191 334 3006
Archaeology: http://www.dur.ac.uk/archaeology/
Combined Honours: http://www.dur.ac.uk/combined.honours/
Personal webpage: http://www.dur.ac.uk/a.r.millard/
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Zeder, Melinda
> Sent: 26 Jul 2010 16:55
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [ZOOARCH] Origin of the Piggy Bank
>
> Ok Zooarchers, I have a question that may challenge even your grasp of arcane knowledge. I got this email
> today from a colleague in the Smithsonian's Museum of American History.
>
> "I am working in the Numismatic Department and was doing some preliminary research on the origins of the
> piggy bank and was wondering if you had any information on this topic (or could point me in the direction of
> someone at NMNH that did). I'm finding that the piggy bank originated in the Middle Ages, but were referred
> to as "pygg" jars."
>
> Can anyone help here?
>
> Mindy Z
>
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