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Finding the Value of Collectable Thimbles?

September 13, 2022

What value in the collectors' market would be placed on thimbles belonging to Jane Randolph Jefferson? One is everyday silver and the other gold with rubies.


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Bronze Tip Medal for All Time! 59 Tips
September 13, 20220 found this helpful
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This will give you an idea of what antique thimbles are selling for. Some thimbles selling for $600+. (An antique gilded silver thimble with rubies (Persian) 19th Century sold for $358.)
www.ebay.com/.../i.html?_nkw=antique+gold+%26++silver...
You may want to have your thimbles appraised by a professional antiques dealer.

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Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts
September 13, 20220 found this helpful
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As Jane Randolph Jefferson is the mother of Thomas Jefferson, these thimbles could be very valuable. Do you have proof of provenance? That would be essential to getting the best value. Without proof of their age and ownership, they are probably not worth more than the value of the metal.

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I don't think an internet appraisal is going to be very accurate. You will probably need to contact an appraiser that specializes in historical artifacts, perhaps at Monticello or the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

Good luck and do let us know what you find out.

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24 More Questions

Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.

September 19, 2022

I will eventually post a photo, but I'd like to see if there's a market for a large thimble collection? I have about 400 thimbles in many shapes and sizes, porcelain, lead crystal, wood, and from famous china companies around the world.

I also have a small lot of thimble Christmas ornaments and other items related to thimbles. My question is I don't know where to start and is there a market for thimbles, and is Ebay the place to start? I may need to lookup some thimbles that I have to see if they're worth anything then decide to I sell them individually or in a lot.

Thank you.

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June 4, 2018

My mother has a Simon Bros. Columbian Exposition 1892 thimble and wanted to find out a realistic value for it - the photo is an example only found online.

Value of a Simon Bros. Thimble Columbian Exposition 1892
 

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 196 Feedbacks
June 4, 20181 found this helpful
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It it Sterling? Mark is usually .925 or Sterling, but there are many other potential marks.

On eBay people are asking in the hundreds, but I see them selling only in the mid to high 20 dollar range.

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I encourage you to check the sold section of eBay periodically to review the sold items as it changes daily. You may also want to watch (a button on eBay) one of the highest priced ones to see if it sells and for how much.

Asking prices are never an indication of value as people can ask for outrageous numbers. Only sold.. what someone actually pays, gives an idea of current market value. It also is supply and demand. If there are lots for sale, it drives the price down unless there is a huge demand.

Sadly also, the silver market is not what it was a few years ago, so I am sure that effects the price.

If you need help with links let me know!

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Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts
June 4, 20180 found this helpful
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The first price I saw is the place you got the photo from, $185

www.rubylane.com/.../Antique-Thimble-x96-Simons-1892-Columbian

If you go on eBay, there are similar ones from $50

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March 19, 2017

Are these worth anything?

Here is some additional information (dates) added after original posting:

Queen Elizabeth II on coronation day 2 June 1953.


Queen Elizabeth II at opening of parliament.
Princess Elizabeth wedding day 20 Nov 1947.
Queen Elizabeth II 60th birthday 2 April 1986.
Princess Elizabeth at the age of three.
Queen Elizabeth II
Prince Charles as Prince of Wales 1 July 1969.
Princess Elizabeth holding prince Charles at his christening Dec 1948.
King George and Queen Mary

Set of St. George thimbles
 

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Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
March 19, 20171 found this helpful
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You have a set in an original box so this would make them more valuable but individual thimbles are selling for $5 to $10 on eBay right now. There are over 16,000 collectable thimbles on eBay right now (not very many St George) and I did not see a set but did not check other sites.

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Since you did not give the date/age it would be difficult to check further but you can check eBay or Google anytime for current listings to see if the value goes up. Just enter St George Thimble and you will be able to check anytime.
A set like this is generally more valuable than single thimbles.
Here is a link to a listing (listed in the UK) to give you an idea as to how they are posted:

www.ebay.com.sg/.../332014824711?hash=item4d4da02d07...

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Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
August 8, 20171 found this helpful
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The additional information would be nice to put in a listing if you were going to place them up for sale on an auction site but it seems this company made several different sets and they are all about the same value. I believe the value is actually less than a year ago.

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You may not be able to sell your set (today's market - 8/2017) for more than $25 and it may not sell quickly even at that price.

Here is a listing in the UK (which is about the same as the US but more popular in the UK) for $19.99 and has several more thimbles. This may not sell either.

www.ebay.com.sg/.../272783653841?hash=item3f832c3bd1...


Just for information - it seems your names are showing 8 names/dates but your box only has 7 showing.

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February 27, 2019

I have some old silver thimbles. Does anyone know how old these are or how much are they worth?

Value of Old Silver Thimbles
 

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Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
February 28, 20190 found this helpful
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Almost all thimbles are low value and very slow sellers.
I thought it was interesting that an example given on ThriftyFun for a thimble in June, 2018 is still listed by the seller (and at the same price). $185 is a high price but lower priced ones are listed over and over also or the sellers give up and try to sell other places (yard sales mostly).

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www.rubylane.com/.../Antique-Thimble-x96-Simons-1892-Columbian

There are presently over 14,000 thimbles listed on eBay (all kinds and some are lots). Not very many are being sold and the sold prices are very low even for nice "decorator" styles.

You might try listing yours as a "lot" on eBay (or any site that you use) and start at a higher price and lower it if no one shows an interest.
In any case you will need very good pictures, showing all sides and any markings as well as the size.
I do not believe many people care if they are sterling silver or aluminum or just "metal" but care more about what design is on the thimble.

There are clubs you can join and try sending pictures and asking questions but unless they are special you may not be able to gain very much information as there are millions of similar thimbles and identifying can be a difficult task.

www.thimbleselect.com/contact-me

www.antiquetrader.com/.../

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June 24, 2020

Can anyone tell me how old and how much this thimble could be worth? I can't find a sterling mark as of yet.

A silver thimble with overall pattern and blue stones set in the rim
 

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 140 Posts
June 24, 20200 found this helpful
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This thimble not knowing the percentage of silver could go for $20 to over $100. It is unclear what type of stones are present. This also could add more value. You show to a jeweler/antique appraiser to get more knowledge on the type of metal. Here is a link to others - www.ebay.co.uk/.../bn_16566944

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 105 Posts
June 24, 20200 found this helpful
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Normally if the thimble was actually sterling silver you should find a mark on the inside of the thimble. I looked at the stones and they do not see to be of much value, at first I thought they might be tourquiose but now I don't think so. They do have designer thimbles listed for sale, seems like a lot of them, for around $35-150. A few are a bit higher but that is because they are gold and not silver. As for the age this one is hard to determine because you should find some sort of marking on it. I would try and check with an antique shop in your area and see if they can tell you more about it.

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July 12, 2021

I found this jar of unmarked I think porcelain thimbles at a clean out I was doing and wonder if they are worth anything. There aren't any markings or anything on them.

A collection of porcelain thimbles.
 

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April 18, 2021

I have a Caverswall thimble with signature W R Tipton, blue forget me not flower.


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Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
April 18, 20210 found this helpful
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You do not say if you are in the US but it seems these thimbles are more popular in the UK than the US.
I did not find your particular thimble or any information that would make it any more valuable than most of the thimbles listed for sale online anywhere.
Research seems to indicate the very few thimbles are valued at more than $10 and most seller's asking prices are between $2-$12 and this also seems to be the value shown in sold prices.
The brand - Caverswall -may be a little more popular than 'no brand' but not by much and sold items are showing about the same value as mostly collectors are interested in a 'brand' and collectors are not that plentiful anymore.

Regular buyers generally just look for a thimble they like and a brand or signature means very little.
You can do more research but here is a link to eBay's sold listings so you can see what similar thimbles are selling for.
www.ebay.com/.../i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=caverswall...

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October 26, 2020

I have a pewter thimble, Churchill Downs edition. I'm not sure what it's worth or if it's worth anything at all. So someone please let me know as soon as possible.

Value of a Pewter Thimble? - Churchill Downs thimble with jockey and building on the thimble
 

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Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
October 26, 20200 found this helpful
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I'm afraid thimbles are a thing of the past and will probably remain in that category as not very many of the middle or younger age groups are into anything 'sewing' related.
There are thimble collectable groups but these people are only interested in very rare items and yours does not seem to fall in that category.
I've seem a few listed for sale and the asking prices are between $5-$8. Yours is in a box and these seem to be about $2 more than the same thimble on a card backing.
www.ebay.com/.../274527036904?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid...
I like them but I feel that I am in a minority where thimbles are found.

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March 11, 2020

My dad traveled a lot for work when I was a kid. So, we had this thing where wherever he went in the world he would bring me back a thimble. (I had a lot more, but these are the only ones for whatever reason they were in my mother's garage that were kept.) There are no dates on them, but I know that we started the tradition around 1989 and stopped in 1997/98.

They are all porcelain except the one from Israel. I was curious if these were even worth listing on eBay?

Value of Collectible Thimbles - variety of thimbles, including two that are house shaped
 
Value of Collectible Thimbles
 

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Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
March 17, 20200 found this helpful
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Not everybody is fond of eBay but they still have more traffic than any other site (Amazon and eBay are comparable but for items like this eBay is probably a better site).

Most thimbles are selling for $5-15 but you may have a rare one so think about checking them out before selling. Be prepared to wait for a sale as these may not sell very quickly.

eBay listings with a seller's 'hopeful' asking price:

www.ebay.com/.../i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=vintage+thimbles...

Here is the link to eBay's sold listings so you can see what people are actually paying for thimbles.

www.ebay.com/.../i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=vintage+thimbles...

You would have to research each thimble individually if you really wish to know very much about them. This can be a long and tedious process but sometimes rewarding.
Since you have some International thimbles you might want to ask some questions before listing them for sale.
Here are a couple of sites to check out and maybe email them with questions.

thimblecollectors.com/.../

www.thimbleselect.com/contact-me

www.thimbleselect.com/learn

www.collectorsweekly.com/.../thimbles

This site receives questions about thimbles so you might want to read some answers from previous questions.

www.thriftyfun.com/Finding-the-Value-of-Collectable...

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May 3, 2021

Thimble with thread in case. I would like to know the price as want to sell this item.

A silver thimble case with a thimble and thread holder.
 
A silver thimble case with a thimble and thread holder.
 

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