I do a lot of salvaging from my city's curb recycling. I'v found and sold thousands of items people tossed out on the streets in clear bags or cardboard boxes, or just loose on top of piles. It's an obscene amount and I only cover a few blocks around my hood. It's actually an easy living given the affluence around my neighborhood.
I find high end household items, appliances, toys, electronics, jewelry, computers, video game systems, phones, medical devices, art, books, antiques, collectibles, and the oddest of things you couldn't even dream up.
For this posting, the karma to get bread and find a bread mixer hours later was the attraction. Helping someone get their package led to me finding cash in the piggy bank (maybe a little bit of a stretch there, but I don't find cash that often).
The piggy bank wouldn't have had much resale value with the tail missing, or otherwise I would've saved it.
Well, this sheds some light. Still, this is such a cool story. And that makes sense about the piggy bank. I was thinking the tail went missing because you broke it. But this makes more sense. You must love watching antique's roadshow.