Friday, July 23, 2010

Lady on the go



Mine!

Antique silver coin pendant from from Nouveau Motley.


Examples from Old Jewelry (Bell) and Popular Jewelry (Ettinger)

In keeping with my love of small, functional things my new obsession is coin holder pendants. Back in the day, this was an indispensable accessory for the lady on the go. Worn on either a chatelaine (a.k.a. the Victorian fanny pack) or later on a chain around the neck, these pendants were designed to hold just enough change for - well - whatever a gal might find herself needing out on the town! They became especially popular at the turn of the century when fashionable ladies started riding bicycles and couldn't hold a purse.

I never though I would find one of these, so I started sweating when I discovered this one last week. It is brass, holds nickels and dimes and is probably from the 40s. I took it to show my friend Sue at one of my favorite local thrift shops and she said "Oh! I had one like this for my bus fare!"

6 comments:

Karen/Small Earth Vintage said...

So cool and clever! I would have loved one of these back in the day when we used tokens for the subway. (Wonder if they would have fit?)

lauren said...

so rad, we need to bring back all these cool little things. my mom was reading "our" jewelry books and now she is a little obsessed with finding her own chatelaine...cute.

Zohar said...

That is awesome! I wonder what Israeli coins would fit in that...

PrettyDamnCute said...

Super sweet. I love posts that say "Mine!" They show both a love and an excitement for vintage/antiques that I truly understand.

alexkeller said...

oh my goodness, i love it! i need to find one now!

Anonymous said...

oh lala! so AMAZING! honestly, I love this and your shop! All time favorite!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/victoriousyouth

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