Here’s a rarely seen, ceramic money box fashioned from a Churchill bust.

Made in 1979, in Denmark, for Sparebanken of Oslo, Norway.
‘Store Statsmenn’ is printed on the base above the stopper which can be removed to retrieve the contents.

Sparebanken ABC (sometimes branded as ABC Bank) was a Norwegian savings bank based in Oslo, from 1985 and 1990. Presumably the bank gave out these money boxes to children with the hopes that they would save their kroner and bank it at Sparebanken. In 1990 it merged with four other savings banks in Eastern Norway to create Sparebanken NOR.

Across the front, near the bottom edge:

Winston Churchill
1974 – 1965

Limited Edition: number 695 / 1000
Measures approx:   6.5″ (h)  x 5″ (w)   x 4.5″ (d)

According to Hall, (p. 93) in 1940, a green papier mache money box like the one shown here was given to each schoolchild to save their pocket money in order to purchase National Saving Certificates. Reportedly it held up to 5 shillings in English pennies & halfpenny coins, so if the recipients filled it 3 times they would have enough to buy “their very own National Savings Certificate.”

The item listed here is a replica of the original green papier mache money box.

Item #433