80s 1100s

Piggy Banks

So why did many of us, as children, keep any cash saved from our weekly pocket money in a ‘piggy bank’? Why were children’s money-boxes made in the shape of pigs, rather than dogs, cats or donkeys? There are several theories about this: it’s a fact that pots in the shape of pigs have been found by archeologists in Java and are said to date from the 12th century and made in the likeness of a wild boar. In addition, some European countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, consider pigs to be lucky. In Britain, in the Middle Ages, no actual banks existed for ordinary families, so any spare money in the home had to be kept in a household pot or jar. Many jars were made of a cheap, affordable, claytype material called ‘pygg’ and so came to be called pygg pots. At that time the word pygg would most likely have been pronounced ‘pug’ – so had no link to the actual animal, which was a ‘pigge’. However, over time, the way words were pronounced changed and the link between a cheap clay pot and the animal in its sty was established. By the 19th century, manufacturers were being asked to make money boxes for children in the shape of pigs and piggy banks as we know them today came into being. Teaching children how to save up for the things they want has always been popular, and if a cute piggy bank helped them to do it, everyone was happy. The Westminster Bank ‘piggy bank’ set, introduced in 1983, can now fetch up to £350 at auction!

Forever remembered as the star of the TV series Magnum, P.I. which was screened between 1980 and 1988, Tom, who is of English descent, was born in Detroit but moved to California with his family as a small child.

His first career ambition was to play professional basketball – he was 6ft 4in tall (193cm) – but eventually he dropped out of university to study acting. He served in the National Guard for six years in the late sixties and early seventies and then began his film career with bit parts in movies and TV commercials.

Magnum, P.I. ran for 163 episodes and won its star an Emmy. When the series ended , he continued working in movies and television, and since 2010, has co-starred as New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in the series Blue Bloods, now in season 13 and essential Friday night viewing for many. Married twice and with two children, he lives on a 60-acre avocado ranch in California and claims that working on the ranch keeps him fit as he hates gyms because they involve “sitting on a stationary bike gazing at my navel!”

He is still a sports fan and likes to watch volleyball, baseball and ice hockey, even though he is said to suffer from deteriorating eyesight, and he is a supporter of both Hawaiian and veterans’ charities.