Sterling Silver Needle
These sterling silver needle accessories and associated pin cushions span the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian periods.
Sterling Silver Needle
The pieces most frequently met on this page are Edwardian novelty silver pin cushions shaped as animals such as chicks, pigs, kangaroos, lions, foxes, swans, pheasants, and bulldogs, often marked with city assay offices and specific years like 1909 and 1912.
How they were made
Makers utilised sterling silver and silver alongside steel for needles and tools, mounting them into fitted leather or fabric cases and backing pin cushions with velvet.
Techniques combined silversmithing, casting, and chasing for the novelty animal figures and etui cases, pairing rigid metal frames with soft internal linings or stuffed cushions.
Sterling Silver Needle Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for sterling silver needle 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.
What varies in quality
Quality rests on the crispness of the chasing and casting in novelty forms, where domestic animals like chicks, pigs, and birds display distinct feather or skin texture rather than softened detail.
Maker marks, clear hallmarks, and the original integrity of fitted leather or fabric interiors alongside complete tool sets within etuis elevate individual pieces.
Sampson Mordan & Co·Asprey·Artificer's Guild
The Sterling Silver Needle Glossary
- Etui
- A small ornamental case used for holding needles, bodkins, and other sewing implements. These fitted containers often date from the Georgian and Edwardian eras.
- Bodkin
- A thick, blunt needle with a large eye used for drawing tape, cord, or ribbon through loops or hems. Early eighteenth century examples appear frequently in silver.
- Novelty pin cushion
- A silver container modelled in a fanciful shape, such as an animal or shoe, stuffed to hold pins. Edwardian makers produced these in large numbers.
- Hallmark
- An official stamp applied to precious metals indicating the standard of purity, the assay office, and the date letter. English silver pieces carry these marks for dating purposes.
Sterling Silver Needle: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a silver etui used for?
An etui is a compact decorative case designed to hold small personal items, most commonly sewing tools such as needles, bodkins, and scissors.
Period examples often contain fitted internal compartments lined in fabric or leather to secure each individual implement safely.
How do I identify an Edwardian pin cushion?
Edwardian pin cushions frequently take whimsical novelty animal forms, including birds, pigs, and dogs, fashioned from sterling silver.
They generally feature hallmarks corresponding to the early twentieth century and often incorporate velvet pads to hold pins.
What materials are found in these sewing kits?
These sewing kits and etuis combine sterling silver and silver for the outer cases and decorative elements with steel for the functional needles and tools.
Internal sections frequently utilise fabric, velvet, and leather to cushion the implements and line the fitted interiors.
Are eighteenth century bodkins different from later ones?
Eighteenth century bodkins are utilitarian yet decorative sewing tools typically forged or cast in solid silver with flattened pierced ends for threading ribbons.
They lack the whimsical animal novelty designs that characterised the later Edwardian pin cushions and sewing accessories.