If you prefer to pay BY INSTALLMENTS or lay away scheme, it is possible for orders over £200. Please enquire for details. We aim to help customers in difficult times.

The Thimble Society was started in 1981, mainly for collectors who wanted information and to buy, sewing tools and related items. The membership is free, members can send in photos of items for identification and if they send their email contact details, to receive notice of interesting items coming up in their particular sphere. If you don't see what you are looking for on our website, let us know and we will try to find it for you.

We are not currently doing any fairs, our Portobello Rd shop is open every Saturday. The Portobello antiques market is only open on Saturdays. Apart from antique thimbles and other sewing tools, such as shuttles, winders, needle cases, reel holders, pin cushions, tape measures, pin holders, sewing sets, boxes, emery, clamps, scissors, thimbles, thimble holders, hat pins, card cases, samplers, purses, and we have branched out into art. Especially paintings from the 20th and 21st century with decorative subjects.

Diary.

Hopefully this diary will be updated every month with useful news for collectors. The sewing tools auction held by Robert Bleasdale in Warwick in December was a success. If you want a list of prices achieved, he had posted it on his web site, or you can contact him. What seems to be happening is good sewing items are going for higher prices because of their growing rarity. Each year takes us farther away from their original manufacture. Lower priced items are harder to sell, either in auction or from a dealer.In the Portbello, an important antiques centre world wide, we are getting less collectors in person and less dealers and collectors from America. We still see dealers from Japan, who love sewing tools made from natural materials such as mother-of-pearl, tortoishell, and ivory/bone. Sewing sets are harder to find complete. Complete Chatelaines are nearly a thing of the past, especially in silver. When they come up in auctions, the sky is the limit. It might be time to revise your insurance estimates. Gold tools have been selling because of the hike in gold price. If you see good gold scissors, buy them as a good investment.

Buying and Selling. We are always interested in buying any antique collectors items. We only deal in antique objects so we don't buy or sell items from the second half of the 20th century or the 21st century. If you have a collection of modern thimbles or modern sewing items to sell, my advice is get in touch with your local aution room or advertise in your local paper. If you have a special antique thimble or collectors item please email with a photo.

I expect you have all seen the news papers reporting the development scheme which might have been the end of our Antiques Market. Happily the local Council voted against issuing a seven days a week trading licence which might have caused the rents to rise and it would have been impossible for many antiques traders who do not live in London, to continue.

FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES.

The following might help foreign buyers. To translate prices from pound sterling to USA dollars, do the following proceedure. Currently [July 2011]it is 1.61 dollars to the pound. with your calculator, put in the sterling price , example £30 times 1.61=48$. The euro is currently at 1.41 to the pound. Put £30 on your calculator, times 1.41=42 euros.

Research facility. If you click onto 'Archives' you will be able to access the back magazines published by the Thimble Society. In their pages, you will find information, articles, and photos with prices. If you are a serious collector and want more in depth information with several hundred colour plates with price guides, then buy the two books 'The Story of the Thimble' and 'The History of Antique Needlework Tools' both by Bridget McConnel. You can buy the books from our website, or from your local book shop if the postage out of the UK is too expensive. You can buy back copies of all the Thimble Society magazines for £4 a copy plus postage. Magazine binders £6 plus postage.

AUCTION ALERT: There is an excellent collection of thimbles and sewing tools belonging to Jackie Phillips. Many wonderful sets and chatelaines. It will be held on August 23rd at the Charterhouse Auctions, Sherborne Dorset. Tel 01935-812277, the catalogue will be on line.

FACEBOOK You can join the thimble and sewing tool collectors on Face Book. You can put in thimbles and my name and you should see the page. Suggest you 'like' or 'Friend' me. Hope to see you there, Bridget. I will put in bits of extra news and be glad to chat to members

Page updated on 16-11-2012