Tips – Collecting Antique Thimbles for Fun and Profit
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A very brief history of thimbles, what makes thimble collecting a good beginning hobby, where to find thimbles, what you should know before you begin and how to get this knowledge are tips that may help the new collector who has an interest in thimble collecting. |
Thimbles date back to the first century AD and were and are still used to protect the finger tips when hand sewing. They have not lost their whimsical nor useful value throughout history. Thimbles became popular for the collector during Victorian times, and for the beginning collector who is looking for a fun and interesting hobby, thimble collecting might be the right choice.
There are a few things you might want to decide before starting your thimble collection. Do you want thimbles of a certain material such as porcelain or brass? Do you only want to collect thimbles that have a certain theme? How much do you want to spend on your collection? Starting out with inexpensive purchases might be best unless you have considerable knowledge in the art of thimble collecting.
The decisions that you make will affect the value of your collection and depending on what you main intent is for the collection, either for your own enjoyment or to make a profit, careful consideration, planning and research may be needed when making decisions on the buying process.
There are books on thimbles for sale and at your local library. You might consider joining a thimble collectors club as a way to increase your knowledge of what to look for before making your purchases. There are certain marking on some thimbles, such as embossed patterns, dimples, promotional advertising and the like that can be a good indication of when and where the thimble was manufactured.
Where do you begin your search for thimbles? There are many places that you can look for thimbles. Yard sales, auctions, online, and antique shops are just a few of the possible places to locate nice thimbles. Thimble collecting can be a fun hobby, purely for enjoyment, or one that could lead you to making a profit.
Thimbles are small and that allows you the opportunity to collect as few or as many as you like as not a lot of space is needed. Some are very unique with an interesting history. There has been a wide range of material used in thimble making, from ivory to gold and silver, bone, wood etc.
There have been commemorative thimbles, promotional thimbles, which appeal to both the thimble collector and those that collect advertising material, thimbles relating to specific themes like wildlife, and so much more. This wide variety, the amount of space needed, and the amount of knowledge that is available offers the collector an opportunity to diversify and choose things to ones liking should they consider an adventure into the collecting of thimbles.