People who sew have always known that thimbles are very useful little objects, and now they’re getting a new following as highly sought-after collector’s items. As thimble collectors are well aware, these small, simple objects have been used for decades to protect seamstresses’ fingers from needle pricks.

Some of the earliest thimbles were bronze, made in Rome in the first century A.D. Now you can view displays of Roman thimbles discovered at Verulamium, or St. Slbans as it is known today, in the museum there. Other early thimbles made of bone, horn, and leather have been found throughout the world and are prized by collectors. In 15th-century Europe, ladies did their delicate sewing with thimbles made of gold and silver. Legend has it that Queen Elizbeth I presented a precious stone-encrusted thimble to one of her ladies-in-waiting.

Thimbles have been produced throughout the centuries, but few of them received hallmarks as they were deemed by the Assaying Acts as too small to be eligible for the markings. Finally in 1870, hallmarks were regularly put on high-quality thimbles, regardless of their size. A thimble collector is referred to as a digitalbulist. Collectors study thimbles to learn various important bits of information, such as the production date of the piece. To determine the date of a thimble, one should look for the small dimples located on the thimble itself. In the mid-18th century, a dimple-punch device was invented to do the job, but before that the task was done by hand. This means that any thimble with dimples in an uneven pattern was probably made prior to the mid-18th century.

The shape and manufacturing style of a thimble are also used to date the various objects. Thimbles made in the Middle Ages featured high, rounded tops and were made of especially thick metal such as brass. Thimbles from this period are extremely rare and yet not particularly valuable, as collectors don’t care for their appearance. The advent of machine-made thimbles in the mid-18th century produced thinner metal thimbles with tops that were flatter than the models made by hand.

In the early 19th century the ornamental thimble emerged, and soon became popular as a special token given by a young man to his beloved. Young couples got their money’s worth from such ornamental thimbles, which were usually made of silver or gold; when the young couple got married the rim of the thimble was cut off to be made into the bride’s wedding ring. Another interesting thimble fact comes from the world of education: many a teacher would wear a thimble on her finger so that she could more emphatically tap the heads of misbehaving children.

Thimble collectors have many sources of information at their disposal: there are books about thimbles, thimble collecting groups, and antique shows featuring thimbles, and of course many antique dealers are well-informed about thimbles. There are many benefits that come with joining collectors’ groups, primarily the exchange of information that comes from sharing a passion for collecting a particular item. Added to that, many collectors get to meet other like-minded individuals at these group meetings, and many long-term friendships can evolve from such associations.