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1894, France (3rd Republic). Silver "Savings and Pension Fund of Paris" Medal.

Mint Year: 1894 Mint Place: Paris Medalist: J.C.Chaplain Denomination: Medal - Savings and Pension Fund of Paris. Condition: Struck with matted dies, lightly cleaned in the past, otherwise XF-AU!  Weight: 16.17gm Diameter: 32mm Material: Silver

Obverse: Seated togate allegoric figure, leaning on accounting book, holding feather pen and ancient piggy bank (money box made of clay). Inscription in right field, date (1894) in exergue. Legend: CAISSE D'ÉPARGNE ET DE PRÉVOYANCE DE PARIS FONDÉE EN 1818 ("Savings and Pension Fund of Paris, founded 1818.") Exergue: 1894     Reverse: Bee-hive beneath a an old tree stump from which young twigs are growing. Landscape with an agriculture worker in background. Legend: TRAVAIL . ECONOMIE ("Work, Economy.")

Piggy bank (sometimes penny bank or money box) is the traditional name of a coin container normally used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used by companies for promotional purposes. The use of the name 'piggy bank' gave rise to its widely recognized 'pig' shape, and many financial service companies use piggy banks as logos for their savings products.

Piggy banks are usually made of ceramic or porcelain. They are generally painted and serve as a pedagogical device to teach the rudiments of thrift and savings to children; money can be easily inserted. Many piggy banks have a rubber plug located on the underside; others are made of vinyl and have a removable nose for easy coin access. Some incorporate electronic systems which calculate the amount of money deposited.[2] Some piggy banks do not have an opening besides the slot for inserting coins, which will lead to smashing the piggy bank with a hammer or by other means, to obtain the money within.

Groupe Caisse d'épargne is a French semi-cooperative banking group, founded in 1818, with around 4700 branches in the country. The group is active in retail and private banking, as well as holding a significant stake in the publicly traded investment bank Natixis.

The group's most notable brand is the Caisse d'épargne network of mutual savings banks. Along with La Banque Postale and Crédit Mutuel, the bank shared the rights to offer the popular Livret A savings accounts, backed by the French government until January 1, 2009.

In addition, the group is also the owner of the mortgage bank Crédit Foncier, the corporate and private bank Banque Palatine and Financière Océor, a commercial, private asset management and specialist finance bank serving France's overseas departments.

In 2006 Groupe Caisse d'épargne merged its investment bank IXIS Corporate and Investment Bank with Groupe Banque Populaire's Natexis, creating Natixis, a publicly traded investment bank in which Caisse d'épargne and Groupe Banque Populaire currently hold an equal stake of 35.25%. Groupe Caisse d'épargne has also since merged its private wealth management bank La Compagnie 1818 into the Natixis group.

The group is listed in the 2007 ICA Global 300 list of mutuals and co-operatives, ranked 11th by 2005 turnover, making it the 2nd largest co-operative banking group in the world, after Crédit Agricole. It was the fourth French bank and the twenty-fifth bank in the world by total assets in 2008.