SOLD……..A rare silver thimble embossed with a bicycle. HM. 1896 JF

SOLD……..A rare silver thimble embossed with a bicycle. HM. 1896 JFA rare silver thimble made during the early days of cycling and is embossed with a bicycle. This example is by James Fenton a Birmingham silversmith and is hall marked 1896. *There are a few known variations in design. This example has solid tyres and the reverse of the thimble has a bird. In excellent condition no holes or repairs. Stock no. LE38

In excellent condition- all the pastes are original

'I long to wed the lad I lov' ( there's no last letter as in this case the maker ran out of space but it's not unusual to find unreadable bobbins because of bad spelling

6 x 5cm with the handle upright

black and red enamel and set with mother of pearl

The locking mechanisms aren't as tight as they would have been originally so the ink wells are not secure enough to fill with ink and hope to avoid spills

It has its original spangle including some square cuts glass beads

The case measures 11 x 9 x 4cm

The adult thimble measures 2

22nd July 1850

A Scottish snuff mull made of horn with silver plated mounts

The steel is decorated with riveted studding and still has a good mirror finish

In is lined in brown velvet and has a gold toothpick inside