Local collector amasses some 3,321 piggy banks in personal collection

Описание: While few people use piggy banks nowadays, their image continues to spark fond memories of childhood. Placing a coin into a piggy bank teaches the importance of saving, as well as the anticipation of breaking it open when a goal has been reached. For one individual in Taiwan, collecting piggy banks has become something of a personal obsession which has consumed much of his time and personal wealth. This is 64-year-old Liu Guang-bin, who owns Taiwan’s largest collection of piggy banks. It currently numbers 3,321.He has piggy banks that are of the traditional porcine variety, as well as those fashioned after cartoons, cats, postal workers, soldiers and firemen. He has piggy banks in virtually every imaginable shape and size.Liu Guang-binCollectorThis type is meant to look like a book. When you put money inside (and then put it on a bookshelf), nobody will suspect it is there.Liu’s heaviest piggy bank is this 3.4-kilogram dragon fish. As for which piggy bank can hold the most coins, it’s this old fashioned wooden car. Liu’s tallest piggy bank is a replica of the Tokyo Skytree.Liu has been collecting piggy banks for 20 years. As he shows us his collection, he’s very careful. More than half of the more than 3,000 piggy banks he has came from overseas.Liu Guang-binCollectorI definitely buy them when I travel abroad. I usually make five or six overseas trips for work each year.Asked why he is drawn to collecting piggy banks, Liu’s answer may surprise you.Liu Guang-binCollectorOne of my classmates collected teapots. Every time I would visit him, he would just ramble about them. I thought to myself that I should begin collecting something.From the first piggy bank that he collected to the 3,321st, Liu definitely has a few favorites. With just a quick glance he is able to easily tell the origins of each.Liu Guang-binCollectorThis one is from Latin America, which I can tell from the bold style. If you visit Latin America, you will see that their houses are painted in bold colors and each is quite different.Liu is also able to date each of these piggy banks from just a quick glance.Liu Guang-binCollectorI can tell immediately that this is from around the 1930s. This is because the slot is quite small. Only dimes can be inserted. Anything larger just won’t fit.Cracks reveal the age of this ceramic piggy bank. And there’s this mechanical piggy bank. These were produced starting from the 18th century in the United States.Liu Guang-binCollectorThe United States became independent in 1776. This was during the 18th century, when the industrial revolution was underway. More objects became mechanical.Liu has around 300 small piggy banks which are actually pigs. He has collected piggy banks from almost every country.Liu Guang-binCollectorMany people ask me (who produces the best piggy bank). I have thought about this question for a long time and still have no answer.Lin Ren-guiPiggy Bank MakerPigs are common and their shape is similar to vessels used to store coins. This may be why we frequently choose to use the image of a pig.Lin Ren-gui is the boss of one of the few companies in Taiwan that still continues to manufacture piggy banks.Lin Ren-guiPiggy Bank MakerThe pig is a lucky animal. It even looks like it will bring you good luck.Each week Lin visits this toy store on Tainan’s Anping Street to replenish stock. As fewer children buy piggy banks, this traditional industry has suffered. A few merchants have still managed to survive, however. Lin displayed this unusual bank from the 1960s.Liu Guang-binCollectorThis type requires a key to open. It was usually given as a gift by banks. Afterwards, people who saved money in it could take it to the bank, which had a key to open it. The money would then be put into the bank. It was a type of special promotion.Aside from banks, temples and social groups also distributed piggy banks as souvenirs to members or devotees. This was done with an eye toward increasing donations. Among Liu’s collection there are many piggy banks that he bought second hand.Liu Guang-binCollectorOne has to get to this flea market early. Most shops are eager to sell on the first day, so it’s easier to bargain.For Liu, collecting is a treasure hunt that takes him overseas and throughout Taiwan. He frequently takes photos of piggy banks he sees to keep permanent records.While most people purchase piggy banks to save money, this collector and this manufacturer have an altogether different take on this common item. For them, piggy banks are kind of personal obsession.