Sterling Silver Chased Foliate Thimble, Size 11, c. 1885–1915 View Watchlist >
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Lot # G583
System ID # 30448273
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Sterling Silver Chased Foliate Thimble, Size 11, c. 1885–1915
An antique American sterling silver sewing thimble in the standard dome form, its cap and upper body worked with tightly packed hexagonal knurled indentations for gripping the needle. A plain horizontal band divides the working surface from a wide decorative skirt, where chased and engraved foliate ornament carries two motifs — branching leaf sprays on one side, a scrolling vine on the other — with deep contrast patina settled into the recesses. The interior rim is stamped "STERLING 11," the numeral indicating the thimble size.
Thimbles of this type were everyday tools of middle-class domestic life across the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, produced in quantity by American silver houses. The unattributed "STERLING [size]" stamp without a maker's cartouche follows a convention shared by several makers of the period — Simons Bros. of Philadelphia, Waite-Thresher, and Stern Bros. Size 11 is a broadly collectible mid-range size, and the intact two-motif skirt gives this example more visual interest than the plain-band norm.
CONDITION
Good. No remarkable damage; knurling and chased skirt detail remain crisp with heavy contrast patina throughout — we'll leave the polishing to you.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Overall: 7/8" H × 5/8" Diameter
- Weight: 4.5 grams
- Material: Sterling silver
- Marks: Interior rim stamped "STERLING 11" (numeral = size)
