How much are my 1980s NatWest piggy banks worth? DAN HATFIELD replies

Earlier in the year, I was at an auction and up came a lot I hadn’t clocked beforehand – a set of NatWest ceramic piggy banks.

I was born in the 1980s and work in finance, but never had the pigs or any nostalgic connection to them.

I have, however, seen them in the past and know they hold some sort of endearment for many people.

Anyway, the pigs came up and nobody bid, I think perhaps as they couldn’t be posted given their fragile nature. I decided to bid £25, the gavel came down and I now have six NatWest piggy banks – five of which have the original stoppers. 

Were they a good buy? With auction fees, they work out at around a fiver per pig.  

Six little piggies: Are the 1980s NatWest banking gems now worth a mint?

Dan Hatfield, resident This is Money valuation experts, replies: What a blast from the past. These little piggies are more than just cute ceramics, they’re icons of 1980s banking. 

I vividly remember, as a little whippersnapper, frantically saving up every penny just to complete the entire NatWest piggy family. 

Oh yes, I had the full porcine line-up—Woody, Annabel, Maxwell, Lady Hillary, and of course, Sir Nathaniel Westminster himself. 

Sadly, they were banished to a dusty corner of my mum’s attic, but their charm still lives rent-free in my heart and mind.

Now, let’s step back to the 80s, when NatWest bank launched this pig family to get kids like me (and perhaps you) saving. 

It all began with Woody, the nappy-clad baby pig, which you received upon opening an account. 

Then, as your balance grew, so did your herd! £25 saved? Here’s Annabel. Hit £50? Maxwell comes along. 

At £75, Lady Hillary joined the squad, and when you’d saved a whole £100, quite the fortune for a 10-year-old in the 1980s, you earned the head of this family, Sir Nathaniel Westminster. 

Honestly, back then, I felt like a mini financial mogul. Getting the entire set was an achievement that not many of our peers achieved. 

It was a badge of honour, bragging rights in the playground, or maybe that was just me, I didn’t have many friends as a child and now I know why, all I banged on about was my piggy bank collection instead of playing football.

But here’s the kicker—these piggies weren’t just about coaxing us kiddies to save; they were representative of a broader transformation in the banking world. 

Before the 80s, banks barely acknowledged kids. There were no accounts for students or housewives, let alone children. 

Then in 1983, NatWest changed the game, creating one of the first accounts aimed squarely at pocket-money hoarders. 

It worked like a charm, with over 1,500 piggy bank accounts opened on launch day. By 1985, they’d handed out a staggering million piggies, that’s a vast number of ceramic snouts.

So, what about the value? Well, the good news is, anything with a whiff of 80s or 90s nostalgia is booming right now. 

We grown-up kids, now armed with adult-sized wallets, are snapping up our childhood favourites. 

And piggy banks, despite the digital age of tapping cards, are enjoying a resurgence. It seems that despite advancements in technology many of us still look back fondly at a simpler time.

Pricewise, it’s a bit of a Wild West out there when it comes to the pigs – collections of the full NatWest family can range anywhere from £50 to £600 online. 

Condition, timing, and sheer luck play a big part, and I can tell you that a well-loved set won’t make you a millionaire. 

But you’ve got a pristine collection, or so it appears from the photos, I can’t see any chips or damage generally which bodes well for overall value.

As you’ve got the full family and an extra Annabel (which is the one minus the stopper), you’re looking at £50 to £70 if sold together. 

But if you split them up (as heart-breaking as that might sound), you could pocket even more:

• Woody: £5-£10

• Annabel: £10

• Maxwell: £15

• Lady Hillary: £15

• Sir Nathaniel: £30-£50

With that extra Annabel in the mix, you could rake in around £110 total – more than doubling your cash. 

Selling fees on eBay or Etsy will eat into that a bit, but it’s still a tidy return, especially if you only paid £25 for them at auction.

Banking royalty: Sir Nathaniel can regularly fetch £50 by himself

Cousin Wesley is the plump piggy prize 

Now, if only you had Cousin Wesley. Introduced in 1998 as part of a children’s bond. This offering from NatWest proved to be rather unpopular so much so that Wesley is now a rarity. 

Had you gotten your hands on him, he’d could singlehandedly fetch £150. But the amount you could raise from the others is still not to be sniffled at. 

As previously discussed, over a million of these were made so the fact that they are commanding prices like I have mentioned is outstanding.

So, what’s my final advice? Whether you choose to sell or keep them, these piggies are destined to grow in value over the next few decades. 

If you do hang on to them, hopefully, they’ll find a place of honour on your mantelpiece—ceramic reminders of a simpler time when saving your pennies earned you more than just interest—it earned you a pig.

Now, I must dash, I’ve got to go visit my mum and have a rummage through her attic to find my little piggies.

> Check back on Sunday for the second part of Dan’s savings and banking valuation special… 

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Dan Hatfield: Our columnist is ready to value your Modern Treasure

Dan Hatfield is This Morning’s money-making expert and resident pawnbroker. He is an international specialist in antiques, jewellery, diamonds and collectibles. 

Dan’s first non-fiction book, Money Maker: Unlock Your Money Making Potential (£16.99, published by Hodder Catalyst) is available now.

This is Money’s Modern Treasures column is after your items and collections for valuations. 

Please send in as much information as possible, including photographs, to: editor@thisismoney.co.uk with the email subject line: Modern Treasures

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Dan will do his best to reply to your message in his bi-weekly column, but he won’t be able to answer everyone or correspond privately with readers. 

Nothing in his replies constitutes regulated financial advice. Published questions are sometimes edited for brevity or other reasons.

As with anything, if you are looking to sell items and collections, it is wise to get a second and third opinion – not just rely on Dan’s suggestions.