Expert: Wynneth Mullins - 1/24/2004

Question
I am a quilter and am interested in all of the lovely collectable thimbles that are EVERYWHERE.  I am interested in collecting some of the  older thimbles that are utilitarian.  Where should I start to learn about these items?  Can you recommend a book?

Thank you for your time

Answer
Hi Georgi,  Thank you for your question.  Collecting thimbles is a great hobby to have.  I have been collecting for over 25 years and have loved every minute of it.  You are quite right to want to have books to read about the hobby before you start purchasing the thimbles.  Like I always say, a knowledgable collector is a wise collector.  There have been many books written about thimbles.  Some are more picture books rather than information books but they are very good as they show you what is out there to collect.  The best book for a new collector is the 3rd edition "The Thimble Collectors Encyclopedia" by John von Hoelle (this is the book with the blue cover.  The book has at least one example of just about every kind of thimble made to show what is available and tells a little history about it.  This book is out of print but can be found from time to time on eBay.  The first 3 books I ever saw that were solely about thimbles were all written by Myrtle Lundquist. Her books are out of print but can be easily found on eBay. They are more the picture books but do describe the thimbles.  The names of these books are "The Book of a Thousand Thimbles", "Thimble Treasury", and "Thimble Amerricana".  Another good book is "American Silver Thimbles" by Gay Ann Rogers.  It covers sterling silver thimbles made by American manufacturers only.  And there is Antique and Collectible Thimbles and Accessories by Averil Mathis.  This book covers a little bit of everything.  There are books about foreign thimbles as well. There were two written by Edwin Holmes about antique thimbles from around the world but mostly about British thimbles.  Most recent book is "The Story of the Thimble, an Illustrated Guide for Collectors" by Bridget McConnel from England. If you love the foreign thimbles, you will love this book. But it does talk mostly about British thimbles.  Are you familiar with eBay?  EBay is one of the best places to find thimbles.  There is a whole section on nothing but thimbles.  Sterling Silver, Gold, Brass, Aluminum, Porcelain and many other types of thimbles.  The prices vary. You can have a collection that is as vast and varied as you like. Prices range from one cent to, well, as high as you want to bid.  If you are a person that likes to join clubs, there are many out there.  If you are interested, let me know where you live and I will put you in touch with a thimble club, if there is one in your area.  There is also Thimble Collectors International.  They have 4 newsletters a year and a convention every other year.  The convention this year is going to be in August in Boston MA.  If you need any other information, please feel free to email me at my personal email address of:

thimble_guild@msn.com

I hope all this information helps.  Take care,

Wynneth Mullins