Earlier this year, I was at an auction and found something I hadn’t seen before: a set of ceramic piggy banks from NatWest.
I was born in the 1980s and work in finance, but I never had pigs or any nostalgic connection to them.
However, I have seen them in the past and know that they hold some form of affection for many people.
Anyway, the pigs went up and no one bid, I think maybe because they couldn’t be posted given their fragile nature. I decided to bid £25, the hammer fell and I now have six NatWest piggy banks, five of which have the original stoppers.
Were they a good purchase? With auction rates, it comes out to about five pounds per pig.
Six Little Pigs: Are NatWest’s 1980s banking gems worth a penny now?
Dan Hatfield, This is Money’s resident valuation expert, responds: What a wonder from the past. These little pigs are more than just cute ceramics: they are icons of 1980s banking.
I vividly remember, when I was a little pimp, frantically saving every penny to complete the entire NatWest pig family.
Oh yes, it had the whole porcine line-up: Woody, Annabel, Maxwell, Lady Hillary and, of course, Sir Nathaniel Westminster himself.
Sadly, they were banished to a dusty corner of my mother’s attic, but their charm still lives rent-free in my heart and mind.
Now, let’s go back to the 80s, when NatWest Bank launched this family of pigs for kids like me (and maybe you) to save up.
It all started with Woody, the little pig dressed in diapers, which you received when you opened an account.
Then, as your balance grew, so did your flock! €25 saved? Here’s Annabel. Get to £50? Maxwell arrives.
For £75, Lady Hillary joined the team, and when you saved £100 – quite a fortune for a 10-year-old in the 1980s – you won over the head of this family, Sir Nathaniel Westminster.
Honestly, I felt like a mini-financial tycoon back then. Getting the complete set was an achievement that not many of our peers achieved.
It was a badge of honor, bragging rights on the playground, or maybe it was just me, I didn’t have many friends when I was a kid and now I know why, all I talked about was my piggy bank collection instead of playing. to football. .
But here’s the kicker: these little pigs weren’t just trying to convince us kids to save; They were representative of a broader transformation in the banking world.
Before the 1980s, banks barely recognized children. There were no accounts for students or housewives, much less children.
Then in 1983, NatWest changed the game and created one of the first accounts aimed directly at pocket money hoarders.
These little pigs are more than just cute ceramics: they are icons of 1980s banking.
It worked like a charm, with over 1,500 piggy bank accounts opened on launch day. By 1985, they had handed out a staggering millions of piglets, that is, a huge number of ceramic snouts.
So what about the value? Well, the good news is that anything that smacks of ’80s or ’90s nostalgia is on the rise right now.
We adult children, now armed with adult-sized purses, are purchasing our childhood favorites.
And piggy banks, despite the digital age of e-cards, are enjoying a resurgence. It seems that despite technological advances, many of us still fondly remember a simpler time.
Price-wise, it’s a bit like the Wild West when it comes to pigs – collections from the entire NatWest family can range from £50 to £600 online.
Condition, timing and sheer luck all play a role, and I can assure you that a well-loved game will not make you a millionaire.
But you have a pristine collection, or so it appears from the photos, I can’t see any chips or damage in general, which bodes well for the overall value.
As you have the full family and an extra Annabel (which is the one with the least cap), it will cost you between £50 and £70 if sold together.
But if you split them up (as heartbreaking as it may seem), you could pocket even more:
• Woody: £5-£10
• Annabel: £10
•Maxwell: £15
• Mrs Hillary: £15
• Sir Nathaniel: £30-£50
With that extra Annabel in the mix, you could win around £110 in total, more than doubling your cash.
Selling fees on eBay or Etsy will affect that a bit, but it’s still a good return, especially if you only paid £25 for them at auction.
Banking royalties: Sir Nathaniel can regularly get £50 on his own
Cousin Wesley is the prize for the chubby pig.
Now if only you had Cousin Wesley. Introduced in 1998 as part of a child bond. This offer from NatWest proved to be quite unpopular, to the point that Wesley is now a rarity.
If you had gotten your hands on him, he could only get £150. But the amount you could raise from others is still nothing to sneeze at.
As mentioned above, over a million of these were made, so the fact that they have prices like the ones I mentioned is outstanding.
So what’s my last piece of advice? Whether you choose to sell them or keep them, these piggies are destined to increase in value for decades to come.
If you keep them, hopefully they’ll find a place of honor on your mantelpiece: ceramic reminders of a simpler time when saving your pennies earned you more than just interest: it was worth a pig.
Now, I have to run, I have to go visit my mom and search her attic to find my piglets.
> Come back Sunday for part two of Dan’s Banking and Savings Valuation Special…
Send your modern treasures
Dan Hatfield: Our columnist is ready to value your modern treasure
Dan Hatfield is This Morning’s money-making expert and resident lender. It is an international specialist in antiques, jewelry, diamonds and collectibles.
Dan’s first non-fiction book, Money Maker: Unlock Your Money-Making Potential (£16.99, published by Hodder Catalyst) is available now.
This is Money’s Modern Treasures column seeking appraisals of its items and collections.
Please send as much information as possible, including photographs, to: editor@thisismoney.co.uk with the email subject: Modern treasures
We are only looking for post war items and may contact you for more information.
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As with everything, if you are looking to sell items and collections, it is wise to get a second and third opinion, not rely solely on Dan’s suggestions.
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