Great looking Pig. Just picked this up early last weekend at a community yard sale in Titusville, NJ. I am in no way an expert on 19th century chalkware figures from Pennsylvania or elsewhere, but given the location of the find, the fact that the older women who sold it to me said that it came from her great aunt's home, and comparing it to other chalkware figures in books, well... let the photos decide. As far as the pig itself, it is light-in-weight chalkware, very primitive looking with  bold hand-painted flowers, 5 1/2" high and 5" long. There are no identifying marks. As far as condition, it's pretty much what you see in the photographs. There are no cracks, but a few flakes missing around the base of the legs, the ears, and handle. It has been shellacked (probably originally), the shellac has yellowed and has a few patches missing, but to me that only adds to its appeal. I'm classifying the piggy bank as 19th century, but because of its crude nature, it could have been made in the ealry 20th as well.

A true piggy bank, there's no rubber-stoppered hole to retrieve your hard-earned money once you put it in the slot. If you want it out, the pig must die. And that would be a shame because this ain't no mass-produced "factory pig." This pig has personality. This pig has "the look."

I'm starting it off low and with no reserve. I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have. If you live in the central New Jersey area and would like to inspect the pig, please contact me and we'll arrange a time. Good luck.

ATTENTION PLEASE! I received an email from a folk-art dealer who stated that in his/her opinion the pig is Mexican 20th century. As I previously stated, I know very little about chalkware figurines, so I would defer to the learned opinion of experts.

If you still choose to bid on the pig, do so for DECORATIVE PURPOSES ONLY. It's still a great looking pig, and I have seen factory produced piggy banks from Mexico offered for double my opening bid. I apologize for my earlier speculation!