Vintage Silver Coin Purse
These vintage silver coin purse pieces combine pocket utility with period craftsmanship, offering collectors a neat piece of early twentieth-century metalwork to carry or display.
Vintage Silver Coin Purse
A vintage silver coin purse encompasses small pocket accessories designed for currency, sovereign coins, or evening use during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. You will regularly encounter Edwardian and George V examples alongside Art Deco and Victorian pieces.
The selections span compact sovereign cases, chain link cocktail purses, and mesh bags featuring silver frames or bodies. Many incorporate supplementary materials such as crocodile skin, glass beads, or blue guilloché enamel.
Origins range from British assay offices in Birmingham and Chester to continental European and French workshops. The forms vary from rigid double sovereign cases to flexible evening bags suitable for small gatherings.
How they were made
Silversmiths utilised sterling silver and silver gilt to form rigid sovereign cases and decorative purse frames, often adding polished finishes or engraved pictorial scenes like The Music Lesson. Fine wire was linked or woven into chain mail and mesh for flexible evening bags.
Makers combined metalwork with organic and textile elements, mounting silver mounts onto crocodile leather or fabric bodies. Guilloché enamel panels were fused to silver bases to provide colourful geometric or floral decoration.
One Victorian purse depicts a musical scene titled The Music Lesson, proving that even pocket currency could carry a tune.
What varies in quality
Quality rests upon the crispness of the hallmarking, the integrity of hinges and clasps, and the preservation of delicate elements like enamel or chain links. Pieces bearing distinct maker marks and assay details command greater attention from collectors.
The intricacy of the construction sets superior examples apart, particularly where complex engine-turned guilloché patterns or detailed pictorial engravings remain sharp and undamaged.
Charles Penny Brown·Aaron Lufkin Dennison·The Boots Company·Robert Cawley·G. Norman·Henry Charles Freeman
The Vintage Silver Coin Purse Glossary
- Guilloché enamel
- A decorative technique where a precise geometric pattern is機械 engraved into a metal substrate and covered with translucent enamel. This method was widely utilised on early twentieth-century compacts and purses.
- Sovereign case
- A small pocket container specifically engineered to hold one or two British gold sovereign coins securely. These cases often feature spring-loaded mechanisms or hinged compartments.
- Assay mark
- An official stamp indicating the purity of the metal and the office that tested it. British silver pieces typically display symbols for the city, year, and sterling standard.
- Silver gilt
- Silver that has been coated with a thin layer of gold on its surface. This technique provides the warm tone of gold while utilising a silver base.
- Chain mail
- Interlinked metal rings forming a flexible fabric for evening purses and cocktail bags. It drapes smoothly while offering durable containment for small items.
Vintage Silver Coin Purse: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a sovereign case?
A sovereign case is a compact pocket container designed to hold British gold sovereign coins securely.
These pieces were widely carried in pockets during the Edwardian and George V periods before paper currency became dominant.
How do I date a silver purse?
You can date British silver items by reading the hallmarked stamps, which include letters corresponding to specific assay years and towns.
Stylistic cues such as Art Deco geometric lines or Edwardian chased scrollwork also help identify the era of manufacture.
Can I use a cocktail purse today?
Many vintage cocktail purses and chain link bags remain suitable for carrying small modern items like cards or keys to evening events.
Care should be taken with delicate mesh or enamel panels to avoid strain or impact during regular use.
What materials are used besides silver?
These accessories frequently incorporate crocodile leather, fabric linings, glass beads, and brass fittings alongside the primary silver structure.
Continental examples often feature decorative guilloché enamel applied directly to metal surfaces.