Chatelaine Coin Purse
A chatelaine coin purse is a small hanging accessory designed to hold currency and evening essentials from the belt.
Chatelaine Coin Purse
When you search for a chatelaine coin purse, you are looking at small personal accessories designed to hang from a waist clip or chain, spanning periods from the late Victorian era through the Edwardian years and into the 1920s. These pieces encompass textile evening bags, petit point needlework pouches, and solid metal containers.
The versions you are most likely to meet on this page include sterling silver frames, chain link cocktail purses, and Continental silver designs featuring blue guilloche enamel. Objects range from standard coin holders to purses with pictorial scenes such as The Music Lesson.
Makers and assay marks frequently link these items to Birmingham and London offices, alongside French imports and regional English retailers like The Boots Company. Styles shift from ornate Victorian engraving to clean George V geometric forms and Art Nouveau flourishes.
Materials and construction
Construction relies heavily on sterling silver and standard silver for frames, mesh bodies, and chain links, providing structural rigidity to delicate hanging items. Metal components often feature decorative engraving, repousse work, or enamel panels applied in geometric or radial patterns.
Textile elements incorporate woven silk and fine needlework such as petit point, stitched into soft pouches attached directly to rigid metal mounts. Many designs incorporate detachable elements or hinged openings to allow access to the interior compartment while suspended.
Chatelaine Coin Purse Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for chatelaine coin purse among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Listings span from the late Victorian period through Edwardian designs to George V and 1920s styles.
Assessing quality and craftsmanship
The distinction between standard examples and finer items rests upon the intricacy of the metalwork and the preservation of the materials. Enamel work showing unbroken translucent surfaces and detailed hand-engraved scenes elevate a piece above plain metal housings.
Structural integrity of the chain links, tight closure of the clasp mechanisms, and the secure attachment of textile pouches to metal frames determine the durability and finish of the surviving object.
The Boots Company·G. Norman·Wright & Davies
The Chatelaine Coin Purse Glossary
- Chatelaine
- A decorative belt hook or clasp from which suspended keys, watches, and small purses hung. This fixture allowed women to carry daily necessities at the waist before pockets became standard in womenswear.
- Guilloche enamel
- A decorative technique where a precise pattern is mechanically engraved into metal and covered with translucent enamel. This method creates a shimmering background effect visible beneath the coloured glass layer.
- Petit point
- A style of needlepoint embroidery worked on single-thread canvas using diagonal tent stitches. This fine stitch count permits detailed pictorial scenes and intricate motifs on small evening bags.
- Sterling silver
- A silver alloy containing substantial pure silver combined with copper to increase durability. Items made from this metal frequently bear hallmarks denoting the assay office and year of manufacture.
- Cocktail purse
- A small evening bag popular during the early twentieth century designed to hold minimal items for social gatherings. These accessories often incorporate metallic mesh or rigid chain links.
Chatelaine Coin Purse: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a chatelaine coin purse?
A chatelaine coin purse is a compact receptacle created to hold small currency or personal items while suspended from a belt hook or chatelaine chain.
These accessories reflect the fashions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, merging utility with decorative metalwork and textiles.
How were these purses worn?
These items were typically hung from a waist clip or decorative belt hook alongside other suspended tools like watches, keys, or sewing implements.
The chain links allowed the wearer to access the contents without detaching the entire accessory from the waistband.
What materials are used in these pieces?
Construction primarily utilises sterling silver and standard silver for frames, chains, and mesh bodies, frequently complemented by silk or petit point textiles.
Enamel decoration also appears on select continental examples to add colour and pattern to the metal surface.
How do I date a silver purse?
Dating relies on assay office hallmarks, maker marks, and stylistic indicators such as Art Nouveau motifs or George V structural forms.
Periods represented in these listings stretch from late Victorian examples through Edwardian designs to the 1920s.