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Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying "We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble"; and, when it had finished this short speech, they all cheered.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by Lewis Carroll
No one knows who invented the thimble. Its origins are shrouded in the mists of pre-history, but it is believed that its development was spurred by the production of cloth beginning around 7000 BC. Prior to that date, garments were generally fashioned from animal skins laced together, but the introduction of much lighter weight woven fabrics necessitated the use of needle and thread. And the thimble.
Early thimbles were probably little more than strips of hide or leather wrapped around sewers' fingers, and, in fact, it was not until about 800 AD that the thimble as we know it was developed in the Middle East. Cast in bronze, the dome-shaped thimble was easily "mass-produced" and quickly spread to Europe via trade and the returning Crusaders. It looked like a little helmet - or hat - hence the German word for thimble, fingerhut (finger hat)!
Thimbles were soon being made of all types of materials from silver, gold, and ivory, to porcelain, steel, and glass. Most were plain in keeping with their utilitarian function, but many were lavishly decorated with coats-of-arms or miniature paintings or reliefs of animals and flowers.
In 1851, souvenir thimbles issued to commemorate The Great Exhibition at London's Crystal Palace gave rise to thimbles as purveyors of advertising logos, and sparked an interest in collecting that exists to this day. In fact, thimbles are so popular that some digitabulists (thimble collectors) are willing to pay up to several thousand dollars for single specimens that are especially interesting, beautiful, or rare.
There are many factors that should be weighed when considering adding a thimble to a collection, and many hints for identifying desirable specimens:
Age: this counts less than might be supposed, as a plain, unmarked specimen, even if very old, may be worth no more than a dollar or two. But being able to determine the age of a piece is still desirable. One of many hints is to check the dimples on a thimble: generally, one made before the 1850's will exhibit an irregular pattern since the dimples were hand punched; post 1850's the dimples are usually machine punched, and are regular.
Maker: many thimbles are not marked, but it is sometimes possible to identify a maker from certain attributes. For example, early Dorcas thimbles by Charles Horner are marked only with PAT (for patent) and the size, but because they are made of steel sandwiched between silver, a magnet will attract them, distinguishing them from plain silver thimbles of the same period.
Marks: prior to 1884, English silver thimbles were not required to be hallmarked, though some were marked voluntarily. There are many resources (some listed below) that can help identify any marks found.
Finally, don't forget about all those related items that are also collectible, like the original Monopoly thimble game piece no longer in production, and all those lovely thimble cases. Shaped like acorns, eggs, beehives, etc, and made of silver, gold, wood, or other materials, some cases are more valuable than the thimbles they contain!
For more information on collecting thimbles, the following resources are recommended:
Books
"Antique and Collectible Thimbles and Accessories," by Averil Mathis
http://tinyurl.com/4cf278
"Discovering Hallmarks on English Silver," By John Bly
http://tinyurl.com/44vyog
"English Silver Hallmarks," by Judith Banister
http://tinyurl.com/4gjrnn
"Findings: The Material Culture of Needlework and Sewing," by Mary C. Beaudry
http://tinyurl.com/4hgxjo
(Partially available on Google, see "Websites" section below.)
"The Story of the Thimble: An Illustrated Guide for Collectors," by Bridget McConnel
http://tinyurl.com/3loox8
"Thimbles and Thimble Cases," By Eleanor Johnson
http://tinyurl.com/4lfazc
Websites
BBC - h2g2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3788779
Page on "The Humble Thimble"
"Findings: The Material Culture of Needlework and Sewing," by Mary C. Beaudry
http://books.google.com/books?pg=PR11&lpg=PR7&sig=psPz_UG7jXHtACrDxnlk0arYESo&id=rvT_aYLCKfIC#PPP1,M1
http://tinyurl.com/5wvwft
This book is a great resource, and a preview version is available online at Google.
Thimble Collectors International
http://www.thimblecollectors.com
Organization offers quarterly bulletin, FAQ's, yearly convention.
Thimbleselect of Australia
http://www.thimbleselect.bizland.com/catalogue.htm
A great resource for the collector: lots of articles, pics, including this one on Docas Thimble Boxes (http://www.thimbleselect.bizland.com/dorcas.htm) and this one about British silver hallmarks on thimbles (http://www.thimbleselect.bizland.com/silversmiths.htm#intro).
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