Thimbles & Rambles

It seems ages since I added a new post. I have a good reason - I've just moved house and had to wait for the broadband to get reconnected. It's been a complete nightmare. All my worldly goods are packed up in boxes and I cant remember which box. Worse still, I dont even know where half the boxes are. Some came here, some went to a friends. Most went to storage including the one with my thimble collection in it. Still, I did manage to add to the collection whilst visiting the local indoor market so maybe moving isnt so bad after all. I got Miss Piggy, Goofy and Thomas the Tank Engine. They are all sitting on a corner shelf now so I dont feel quite so bad about not having the rest of the thimbles here. I would have posted a picture but the camera is in a box......

So I thought I'd share some pictures which are vaguely connected to Miss Piggy, Goofy and Thomas.

A Blue train. It's nothing like Thomas but it's still an impressive train. Its the Mallard, designed by Sir Nigel Gresley. It set the world speed record for steam locomotives back in July 1938 with a speed of 125mph.

A porcelain piggy to represent Miss Piggy.

Noddy. A fictional character who is always getting into trouble, a bit like Goofy. Well, I did say the links were a bit vague.

Anyway, have you ever wondered why they are called thimbles? No? Originally, way back when they first came into use, thimbles were designed to be worn on the thumb. They have always had a slightly bell like shape so were called thumb-bells. Over time this has become thimble.

Thanks for stopping by. Let me know you called by leaving a comment.
Bye for now.

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Thimbles Silver Hallmarks

Did you know that before the 1880’s silver thimbles did not need to be hallmarked? No? Well, although the silver used was the correct grade to be classified as sterling, the amount used per thimble was too small making the duty payable for the hallmark more than the thimble was worth. This changed in 1884 when applying for a hallmark became mandatory. Hallmarks or any other kind of marking on a thimble helps to date it. Even the little dimples can help you tell how old it is. This thimble is hallmarked. They are a bit tricky to read sometimes as they are incredibly small and sometimes are worn, especially when the thimble has been well used like this one. I inherited this one from my mother-in-law, who probably inherited it from her mother. This hallmark gives the makers mark, CH for Charles Horner; the Lion symbol, indicating that it is sterling silver, the mark for Chester Assay office and the date letter. The date letter is for 1897. I mentioned in an earlier post that

A Passage of Time

Hi all, Time flies doesn't it? Seems like only yesterday when I last posted to this blog. Can't believe it was March 2015! I think I must have been asleep because I have no idea why it has taken so long to post. These thimbles show the passage of time. All of it a lot before mine, I hasten to add. These little ladies show the changes in fashion in the United States from 1900 through to 1947. Originally part of a collection from Avon in the1980s. The four above are from left to right, 1910, 1900, 1928 & 1927. These four are 1923, 1938, 1942 & 1947. The 1920s must have been a great decade for fashion in the US, with 3 examples from that era included in the collection. In fact the 20s were a time of great change and not just for clothes. It was the interim period between two world wars. People thought that with the end of the First World War, conflict was over and there was a new, vibrant, buzz for the future. It was the age of bobbed hair, the Char

A Thimble Trail

Hi all, Lots of places have souvenir thimbles which can be taken home as a small memento of a journey to a far away place, a visit to an historic building, a theme park, or even a popular tourist attraction. Most of the souvenir thimbles in my collection have either been given to me by friends and relatives or purchased in charity shops or from ebay. Rather than being a record of places that I have been they are more of a wish list - a thimble trail of places I would like to visit. One of my friends brought this back from a recent trip to Scotland. I picked the next couple up from Ebay. Both Scotland and the Lake District are places that I haven't been to yet but would like to. That isn't the only thing they have in common. They are both a bit soggy and grey at the moment so maybe that's a trip I should save for summer months ☺. In the meantime, here are some thimbles with a nice bit of blue sky and sunshine... Bye for now Olly

Simply Thimbles

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