Expert: Barbara K. Acchino - 7/30/2008

Question
I believe I have my great-grandmother's thimble. My grandmother was born in 1898.  The inside says sterling with a mark of a shield with a slashed fancy S inside the shield.  The outside is simple with the thimble holes at the top and a smooth surface on the bottom, with a simple circumferenced inscribed ribbing above and below the monogramed block initials C. M. K.  I believe the 12 on the banded part behind the initials is the size.  With the price of silver today, my first choice is to sell it to be melted, but finding this very nice Q&A. I thought I'd inquire as to its collector's approximate value first.  Thank you for making your expertise available in this format.

Answer
Hello Nancy.  You have a sterling silver thimble made by Simons Bros. Co. of Philadelphia.  They have been in business since 1839 and still make thimbles today.  Yes, the 12 indicates the size of the thimble.  Without a picture, I could not venture a guess on the value of your thimble as many things affect it.  If you can send me a digital photograph, I may be able to tell you more.  bacchino@twcny.rr.com.  You might want to check out the current offering of thimbles on ebay to see if you can find something similar.  As a thimble collector, if I had my great-grandmother's thimble, the sentimental value would outweight any monetary value.  As a thimble collector I also cringe when you say you may melt it down  :-(  Barbara