Wade NatWest Annabel Piggy Bank Vintage 1980s Ceramic Money Box Collectible
£23.00
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Wade NatWest Annabel Piggy Bank Vintage 1980s Ceramic Money Box Collectible
£23.00
Item Overview
- Type: Vintage Promotional Ceramic Piggy Bank / Character Money Box
- Designer / Artist: Traditional Wade Studio Pottery Craftsmen
- Brand: NatWest (National Westminster Bank Campaign)
- Manufacturer: Wade Pottery Ltd (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)
- MPN: vintage annabel pig
- Place of Origin: England, United Kingdom
- Style: Nostalgic 1980s Pop Culture Americana / Classic British Banking Collectible
- Colour: Glazed Baby Pink Pig Skin with a Deep Forest Green School Uniform, Crisply Painted Yellow and Black Striped Tie, White Blouse, and a Cobalt Blue Satchel
- Design Era: Late 20th Century Retro Era (Originally launched c. 1983)
- Material: Fine Glazed English Pottery / Porcelain Earthenware
- Set Includes: One (1) Single Wade Ceramic "Annabel" Schoolgirl Piggy Bank with Base Stopper
- Features: Top-Mounted Coin Slot, Original Underglaze Backstamp, Removable Bottom Rubber Stopper, High-Gloss Protective Glaze, Highly Textured Molded Folds
- Condition: Excellent Vintage Condition (The ceramic framework is beautifully preserved and structurally sound, showing no structural cracks, deep hairline splits, or chips along the ears or base; the high-gloss factory glaze is exceptionally mirror-bright with crisp, unfaded paint lines; the coin slot is completely clean, and the base retains its original black rubber stopper)
- Size and Capacity: Stands a classic cabinet-ready 17 cm Tall (approx. 6.7 inches) from base to ear tip.
Dating & Historical Context
- Dating: This iconic ceramic figure dates strictly to the peak of the National Westminster Bank savings campaign between 1983 and 1989. The production diagnostics are fully verified by the crisp underglaze backstamp on the smooth base, reading the official copyright attribution script "Wade England".
- Historical Note: In December 1983, NatWest launched one of the most successful and legendary marketing campaigns in British banking history, designed to encourage children and teenagers to open a "Piggy Account". Young savers were awarded an independent ceramic piggy bank as their savings balance crossed specific milestones. Manufactured by the world-famous Wade Pottery in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, the set consisted of five distinct family members representing different life stages: baby Woody, schoolgirl Annabel, student Maxwell, mother Lady Hilary, and father Sir Nathaniel. Annabel represents the highly sought-after second step in the collection tier, traditionally unlocked once a young saver reached a balance milestone of £25. Characterized by her iconic school uniform, pleated green skirt, striped tie, and blue school bag draped over her shoulder, this charming figurine evokes an incredible rush of nostalgia for child savers of the 1980s, making it a stellar centerpiece for retro pottery completists and collectors of vintage British merchandise.
Description
An exceptionally visual and deeply nostalgic acquisition for 1980s pop-culture completists, vintage ceramic collectors, or interior stagers, this genuine Wade NatWest "Annabel" piggy bank carries immense storytelling value. The piece presents a marvelous showcase of traditional British character pottery, molding fine earthenware clay into an expressive, cheerful schoolgirl figure. Dressed in her vibrant green uniform complete with a meticulously detailed striped tie and small blue satchel slung on her back, the figurine features a wide coin-drop slot along her shoulders, resting stable on a flat unglazed base rim designed for desk or shelf layout placement.
Expert Identification & Design Features:
- Authentic Wade Craftsmanship: Finished underneath with the official factory mark confirming its genuine 1980s Staffordshire manufacturing origin.
- The Annabel Configuration: Captures the character's signature look, detailed with hand-painted eyelashes, an asymmetric tilted ear profile, and arms tucked neatly behind her back.
- High-Luster Glaze Shielding: Coated in a heavy-duty, mirror-smooth underglaze that locks in the vibrant pink, green, and yellow pigment tones while safeguarding against surface scuffs.
- Complete Utility Setup: Pre-fitted with a removable flexible black rubber stopper on the bottom, allowing collectors to empty coins safely without cracking the pottery core.
Condition Report
This vintage 1980s Wade money box is in exceptional condition, displaying a level of cosmetic preservation that suggests it was kept safely inside a display cabinet rather than heavily handled on a nursery workbench. The earthenware structure is entirely true and rigid, displaying zero stress fractures, hairline cracks, baseline chips, or tip wear to the ears. The surface paintwork is wonderfully bright and vibrant, free from the UV fading or glaze crazing common to ceramics of this age. The unglazed base rim displays light, completely honest vintage shelf-rubbing, and the original black base stopper sits perfectly flat and flush inside its track. Please see the detailed gallery photos to confirm the surface finish quality and view the physical scale.
Shipping & Logistics
- Domestic Shipping: FREE UK TRACKED DELIVERY.
- Packaging: Due to the fragile nature of this vintage collectible, it will be securely double-boxed. The figure will be heavily cushioned in multiple thick layers of high-density bubble wrap to isolate the ears and base from external transit vibration, arriving completely safe and display-ready.
- Dispatch: Order before 12:00pm and we ship same day.
Returns & Payment Policies
We want you to be delighted with your heritage find.
- Not as Described: In the unlikely event of an error in our listing, we will provide a full refund and cover the return postage costs.
- Change of Mind: We accept returns within 30 days; however, in these instances, the buyer is responsible for the return shipping costs.