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| 3 Tips to Checking for Fake Natwest Piggy Banks
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By:
Dawn Talbot
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It was inevitable really that with such huge popularity and ever increasing value some greedy soles would come along and try and get a piece of the action. And this is indeed what has happened in the case of that cute family of pink ceramic piggy banks.
What am I talking about you ask? Well the Natwest family of pigs of course, consisting of Woody, Annabel, Maxwell, Lady Hilary, Sir Nathaniel and if you are really lucky Cousin Wesley. Now anyone who has hung onto their original pink ceramic pig, you can of course vouch for their authenticity, but what if like so many people you fancy acquiring a set for yourself but don’t want to get caught out?
There are many variations of colourways offered on all the pigs that it is getting difficult to track them all. However there are a few tell tale signs to checking out whether you’re looking at the genuine piggy article or just a plain old pink ceramic piggy bank fake.
• Firstly and most obvious check the colours used on the pig itself, using the lists below.
• Now check the pigs base as all genuine Wade pigs have a “Wade England” backstamp clearly marked in the ceramic.
• Thirdly the bung of the piggy bank should bear the Natwest logo and name and be a good tight fit, as fakes tend to have a larger hole so that the bungs do not stay put.
To confuse however if you have a pig that bears no backstamp you don’t necessarily have a fake piggy.
At the beginning of the Natwest promotion Sunshine Ceramics handled the first batches of pink ceramic piggy banks. All together they made about 400 sets of the family of five – excluding Cousin Wesley plus around 100,000 extra Woodys. These pigs do not have any backstamp on their base. The company failed to keep up with demand so Wade Ceramics Ltd took over the pig family production.
What to check for when looking at a Natwest Woody piggy bank:
• Woody the baby of the family wears a white nappy with either a silver or grey safety pin through it.
• Woody has a white base.
• As the most common of the pigs ignore claims that the silver nappy pin is rare.
• Gold 22 carat Woody – Gold glazed pigs were spray painted so check to see if the base has also been sprayed gold. Fakes sprayed even the bases but due to the cost of gold leaf Wade did not spray their original models bases.
• Wade were the only producers of the gold sprayed pink ceramic piggy bank so Woody will be backstamped “Wade England” These pigs were issued with a certificate of authenticity and are very rare.
Ceramic Annabel Piggy Bank:
• Annabel the school piglet should be wearing a green gym slip and white school blouse. Turn her round to see her carrying a blue duffle bag.
• She has a pink ceramic base.
• Some fake Annabel pigs are backstamped “Made in England” rather than “Wade England” or none as previously stated.
• Recently a gold coloured Annabel has been released, she was issued with a authenticity certificate. Her under base is white and carries the more modern red Wade backstamp, a Natwest logo and the year 2007.
Pink ceramic Maxwell Piggy Bank:
• Maxwell is decked out in blue dungarees and a red and white tie.
• The base of Maxwell should be pink ceramic and not white.
Lady Hilary Piggy:
• Elegant Lady Hilary should be wearing a light blue blouse finished with a dark blue bow, a navy skirt and she’s carrying on her trotter a grey handbag.
• There are not so many fake Lady Hilary’s around but check for the usual backstamp, bung and base just to be certain.
Sir Nathaniel completes our family of five pink ceramic piggy banks and is a prime target for forgeries:
• Nathaniel in his black suit, with red bow tie and matching red rose looks very dapper.
• Beware they are many colour variations out there which are fake. For instance Nat or “The President” in a white jacket. There are also fake Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Sir Nathaniels.
• Nat weighs 675gms.
• A Sir Nathaniel with a red tie instead of bow tie produced was produced for Lombard Natwest and is the genuine article. Check his black jacket has a blue sheen to it. Otherwise he is the same as the original in looks, height and backstamp, but weighs slightly more - 705gms. However be extra cautious if offered one as there were only 100 made.
• There were only 2 gold Sir Nathaniel pigs ever made!
The rarest pig of the pink ceramic piggy bank group is Cousin Wesley, who is worth about £150 but can sell for much more, making him a grand candidate for forgery.
• Wesley should be wearing a dark blue hat and trousers plus a green shirt. Check the consistency of the green shirt as originals were bold and fakes are often patchy with brush strokes visible in the paint.
• Forgeries tend to have a larger base of about 11.2cm at the widest part. The original size is 10-10.2cm.
• Wesley stands about 14.6cm high and weighs at least 372 grams. Fakes are smaller and weigh considerably less.
• If you look inside him he should be white with no pink glazing. Originals were spray glazed whilst fakes dipped, so insides turned pink as well.
• His base should be pink ceramic with a white rim which is unglazed. He should also have the “Wade England” backstamp and a Natwest bung, which should fit the hole.
Dawn Talbot is a Wade enthusiast visit her site for all things Wade at:
http://www.wade-in-england.com
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