It’s a bit overblown to invoke this line from St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians about my old piggy banks, but I certainly wanted to mark this moment. The piggy banks in question date from the first opening of my Natwest account, and are a set of five which you received as you achieved increased balances in your account:
- Woody, account opening with £5
- Annabel, £25
- Maxwell, £50
- Lady Hilary, £75
- Sir Nathaniel, £100
It turns out the pigs have turned 35! I can’t remember when I actually opened my account, but I think before I was 10, i.e. pre-1985.
I did use the pigs when I was little, but of course they were never anywhere near full – who the heck would ever manage to fill up 5 piggy banks? So at some point, probably in the early 1990s, the pigs went from my bedroom windowsill into a box. And eventually into another box, then onto a shelf, moved to another shelf when that house was sold (early 2010s), then finally cleared off that shelf when I had a flat with a bit of storage space and could reclaim all this paraphernalia. They have been recumbent in an old filing cabinet for the past 4 years, and finally, I think it is now time for them to move on to someone who may value them more than I have!
When I unwrapped them, I discovered Sir Nathaniel in fact had some money in him! Quite a blast from the past to see six old (two 1969s, two 1988s and one each of 1987 and 1989) 5p pieces:
So, it’s time to put them on Ebay or Etsy and wish them a happy future. They have been part of my personal reality in some small way for 35 years, God speed, Sir Nathaniel and family!
Timsformational 