Sterling Silver Purse
A sterling silver purse brings tactile elegance to an evening, holding small essentials within precious metal frames from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
Sterling Silver Purse
A sterling silver purse encompasses a range of small personal accessories designed for coinage, cards, and daily necessities. The versions most commonly encountered span the late Victorian, Edwardian, and George V periods, reflecting the shifting social habits of the early twentieth century.
The category extends from delicate mesh cocktail bags and chain link evening accessories to rigid card cases and coin holders. Many pieces incorporate interior leather linings or fitted compartments for visiting cards and dance notes.
Makers produced these items for urban social life, resulting in forms that suspended from chatelaine hooks or slipped easily into evening wear pockets. Surviving examples show influences from both ornate Victorian embossing and flowing Art Nouveau botanical motifs.
Materials and Craftsmanship
Silversmiths formed the rigid bodies of these accessories through sheet metal stamping, chasing, and hand engraving. Frames were frequently hinged to secure internal linings of leather or crocodile skin.
Flexible evening bags utilised interlocking silver rings to create fluid chain mail or mesh. Enamelling techniques, particularly translucent guilloché work, added colour and pattern over engine turned silver grounds.
Sterling Silver Purse Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for sterling silver 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.
Several miniature purses were designed specifically to hold dance cards and tiny pencils for tracking evening social partners.
Assessing Quality and Execution
The distinction between standard production and exceptional work lies in the depth of hand chasing and the crispness of repoussé scenes. Finer examples display carefully detailed figural panels or architectural motifs rather than repetitive machine stamping.
Structural integrity of the hinges, clasps, and internal mesh determines the durability of each piece. Superior items retain tight closures and securely anchored chain links that withstand active daily use.
Charles Penny Brown·Aaron Lufkin Dennison·Willian Aitken·John Collard Vickery·Henry Williamson·The Boots Company·Robert Cawley·G. Norman·Henry Charles Freeman·William Adams Ltd·Wright & Davies·Ludwig Krumm
The Sterling Silver Purse Glossary
- Chatelaine
- A decorative belt hook worn with a series of suspended chains for carrying small utility items like purses and scent bottles.
- Guilloché
- A decorative technique where a precise geometric pattern is mechanically engraved into a metal surface beneath translucent enamel.
- Repoussé
- A method of shaping metal by hammering the design from the reverse side to create low relief ornamentation on the front.
- Sovereign case
- A small pocket container specifically engineered to hold British gold sovereign coins securely on a spring mechanism.
Sterling Silver Purse: Frequently Asked Questions
What fits inside a sterling silver purse?
These compact accessories accommodated coins, folded paper currency, visiting cards, and small dance tablets. Interiors often featured compartments sized precisely for visiting cards or sovereign coins.
Larger mesh cocktail versions allowed room for powder compacts, lipsticks, and handkerchiefs while maintaining a rigid frame closure.
How do I care for my silver purse?
Regular dusting with a soft microfiber cloth prevents tarnish build up on engraved and chased surfaces. Avoid harsh chemical dips, particularly on pieces with enamel or leather linings.
Store the item in a dry, tarnish resistant pouch away from direct light to protect any delicate internal leather or textile components.
How are Edwardian pieces dated?
British hallmarks stamped into the silver frame provide the exact year of manufacture alongside the assay office mark. These tiny stamped symbols indicate assay towns such as Birmingham, Chester, or London.
Date letters change annually, allowing collectors to match the hallmark punch directly to official assay office records.
What is the difference between a coin purse and a card case?
Coin purses feature flexible chain mesh or fitted leather gussets designed to hold loose currency securely. Card cases utilise rigid, flat metal walls to keep visiting cards crisp and unbent.
Many surviving Edwardian designs combine both functions within a single hinged metal frame.