Antique pig's head fetches £530 at auction

An antique plaster cast of a pig's head, used in a pub game, has sold at auction in Scunthorpe for £530.

The game, which auctioneers believe dates back to the 18th Century, required players to knock a penny off the pig's nose using a wooden handle suspended on a pull cord.

The game was hung up on the wall at the White Horse Inn - recently known as the Jenny Wren - in Susworth.

Potters Auction Showroom in Scunthorpe said the pig's head was bought by a local man, so was going "back home".

Kat Lister, saleroom manager, said there had been a lot of interest in the head.

"According to local historians, the pub opened in 1719 and as far as the stories go, this pig has been up on the wall since then," Lister said.

"You would place a penny on its nose, and we've got a little wooden chock that comes down on a rope, and you would swing it and try and knock the penny off its nose, and we believe that people would probably gamble in that way and try and win the money."

The game was among a number of items from the venue being auctioned off on Friday following the closure of the pub in December 2022, which managers had blamed on "spiralling utilities".

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