1983 - 2008
The NatWest Piggy Family is to many a iconic reminder of an early 1980’s childhood. Launched in December 1983, it took quite some time for NatWest to buy into the idea of promoting incentivised savings accounts but it is now recognised as the most popular child's savings account to be launched, with many other banks trying to emulate the success over the subsequent years. On its launch, 1,500 accounts were opened and by the time the series ended over 1 million piggy banks had been issued.
Accounts were opened with a minimum deposit of £3, in return you would receive the starter pack and the first collectible piggy bank – the baby pig called “Woody”. Accounts were reviewed each and every 6 months and as your balance grew you become eligible for the next collectible piggy bank. Having saved £25 you would be eligible for Annabel, Maxwell at £50, Lady Hilary at £75 and Sir Nathaniel Westminster at £100. it would take at least 2 years to collect the entire family due to the 6 monthly review and you had to collect each piggy bank within sequence.
When first launched, it was Paul Cardew and Sunshine Ceramics that were commissioned by NatWest to produce the first run of pigs. Many websites mention the total number of full sets made by Paul Cardew as being 400, however, the main collectors and dealers believe the true amount to be as little as 6 full sets. With the demand being so high, it became clear that a larger pottery was required which is where Wade came in with the help of Alan Maslankowski.
Achieving a savings balance of £100 proved to be a stretch too far for many savers, in the 1980’s this was a large sum of money for a family to hold as savings let alone a child. As a result fewer Nathaniel's were produced which has led to this piggy bank being the most sought after from the family of 5.
In 1999 NatWest launched a new savings bond product and the promotion was aligned to the release of a sixth piggy bank called “Cousin Wesley” that was designed by Ken Holmes. In order to secure the newest addition to the family you had to be prepared to commit £1000 to a 5 year investment bond. A significant sum of money for the majority of customers and a lower profile promotion resulted in many of the 5000 produced not being issued. As a result Wesley remains one of the limited editions that remains sought after by the original customers and newer collectors.
In 1984 Wade also produced 25 gold Woody’s for the NatWest Bank which were issued as part of a competition which you can find on the back page of Piggy Press Issue#1, the winners are listed in Issue#2. All had certificates of authenticity with them and rarely come on the market. There are rumours that others were produced and given to the banks directors although very limited information exists to confirm this.
In 2006 Wade produced a smaller gold Woody limited to just 250 and then in 2007 a gold Annabel which had 400 produced with Maxwell coming in 2008 again with 400 being produced. At the time popularity was low which was partly driven by a change in audience, a smaller advertising campaign but also a larger associated cost. Hilary and Nathaniel were never produced, in 2008 NatWest were adapting to various challenges as part of the financial crisis, it was deemed inappropriate to be continuing the series during this difficult period for the bank and its customers.
A number of other limited edition pigs were made, “Lombard” was produced in 1995 with a run of 500, “Wicket” was commissioned with Paul Cardew creating a pig playing cricket to coincide with the 2007 NatWest Cricket series ,again 500 were produced. Paul Cardew released some wicket designs of his own that can be found in different colours.
In 2007, Paul Cardew commissioned a 25th Anniversary set modelled on the originals but with some silver detail, there was also a 6th pig “Beatrice”, 2,500 were commissioned.
Rarity Scale
Wade White Sir Nathaniel - 2
Wade Gold Sir Nathaniel - 2
Wade 2021 Cousin Wesley - 5
Original Sunshine Ceramics Set - 5
Wade 1984 Gold Woody - 25
Paul Cardew Footballer & Fairy Set (Natwest) - 25
Paul Cardew Painted Footballer - 100
Paul Cardew Painted Fairy - 100
Wade 2006 Gold Woody - 250
Wade 2007 Gold Annabel - 400
Wade 2008 Gold Maxwell - 400
Wade Wicket Cricket - 500
Wade Lombard - 500
Paul Cardew 25th Anniversary Set - 2,500
Wade Cousin Wesley - 5,000
Wade Original set - 25,000+