Expert: Barbara K. Acchino - 1/7/2007

Question
I found a lovely item at the antique store yesterday---it (I am assuming) a pin box.  It doesn't look like the pins were necessarily kept in it, but instead the pins were stuck into it from the outside (it is of a cardboard-like material) and were probably displayed and sold like that.  It is about 3 inches tall and 1 1/2 inches square.  The reason I bought it is because each long side panel has a beautiful printed picture of a masted ship, a different one on each side and my husband likes anything with ships on it.  On the top of the box it says "Double Pan-American Cube, Germany" There are two sizes of white-glass head pins stuck into the corner areas. Have you seen anything like this before, and can you tell me anything about it?
Thank you very much,
DeAnn

Answer
Hello DeAnn.  Yes, I have seen similar items to yours.  I'll do the best I can to give you information on it without a picture:  You have a paper (cardboard) pin cube.  At one time, pins were scarce and expensive, so containers for needles and pins were popular to protect and keep track of them.  There are a number of books on antique and collectible sewing tools, which will give you a pictures for comparison.  Perhaps your local library can request:  Sewing Tools and Trinkets by Helen Lester Thompson or A Collector's Guide to Needlework Tools and Accessories by Molly Proctor.  There are many others that are very good, but these two seemed to have the best pictures. Barb