Antique English Hand Painted Porcelain Thimble Shoe

Sterling Silver Thimble * 1899 Hallmarks

This nice little antique piece is in the form of the shoes most often seen in glass but it is made of porcelain. The front is hand painted with forget me not flowers. The opening is intended to hold a thimble. The condition is excellent with no chips or loss and the design has very little wear. There are lines where the halves of the shoe were originally joined before firing, but they are not damage. It measures 2 3/8" long and almost 7/8" wide.

The little sterling silver thimble is in amazing, mint condition. It has a faceted rim and engraved band. It is stamped with the English silver hallmarks for Birmingham 1899 and the maker's mark for Charles May. It is perfectly in round without a mark and looks brand new. It's about an American child's size 5 (13.7 mm diameter opening). Some glass shoes of this shape are shown on p. 106 of Bridget McConnel's book The Story of Antique Needlework Tools.

Despite the name, this organization is for people who collect needlework tools And thimbles. It's the largest collector’s group in the world focusing on these wonderful little pieces of history.

The membership benefits are outstanding. They have a convention every two years where you'll have a chance to attend great programs and meet others sharing your interests. The next one is in San Antonio, TX in September of 2026. You will receive an excellent quarterly magazine, the "Bulletin". The member's sections of the website have dozens of research articles, hundreds of fake and repro items to beware of and price guides. There is also a chat room where you can ask questions and get expert feedback about your collection. Check them out today at thimblecollectors dot com.