Date check on J W Robinson tooled leather coin purse

[cmpollack]

I love the tooled design on this! It's NOS and measures 3" square, and underneath the little envelope flap compartment are two more open compartments which open accordion-style (I have to get another pic).

My first guess is that this is 20s/30s like the other little "Florentined" leather pieces I've had, but...?

Knowing that it was made for JW Robinson should help, but doesn't really (since according to our label resource, they were part of the big dept store mergers over the past couple of decades...)

Your thoughts? TIA!

 

[cactusandcattails]

I have no idea on the date Carrie, but that is fantastic leather work! The design, the colors...

 

[joules]

Carrie, it is beautiful. Dating it is sure a puzzle; for some reason, 50's comes to mind, but I have no real basis for thinking that. I used to shop at the flagship J. W. Robinson's stores, in downtown L.A. and Beverly Hills. I really miss that chain.

 

[cmpollack]

Thanks, Brenda & Julie!

It is a puzzle to date--there are "timeless" elements to the technique, especially if it's an "exotic souvenir" type of thing... But the design has a Nouveau-ish quality, too...

 

[cmpollack]

Selfish bump...

 

[Linn]

I am thinking '60's but I have no real basis for that but something about the snaps, the embossed gold lettering and the pebble finish on the leather makes me think '60's. Leather goods from Italy were absolutely gorgeous then and I wish I had kept the ones I bought!

Linn

 

[MyVintageCocktail]

Carrie, it's beautiful, but I can't pin down the dating... I've seen those bags from India with similar tooling. Of course, your wallet is much nicer quality, but the colors remind me of those more recent bags.

It's one of those timeless wonders.... Well made and beautiful in any era.

 

[cmpollack]

Thanks for weighing in, Linn and Anne!

Maybe I should just go with midcentury, then, and mention that this type of Florentine had been popular/imported from Italy for decades?

 

[cmpollack]

Thanks for weighing in, Linn and Anne!

Maybe I should just go with midcentury, then, and mention that this type of Florentine had been popular/imported from Italy for decades?

 

[joules]

Carrie, I think that's a great way to phrase it.

 

[cmpollack]

Thanks for the reassurance, Joules (and I'll watch for missing words--such as "work" after Florentine--in the actual listing... :duh

 

[TinTrunk]

I just wanted to add that I have a couple of 20s purses (coin purses), and they tend to get bright green crusty verdigris around the press studs!

Sometimes I long for a nice dry Californian climate, rather than our damp English one - there would be none of that annoying corrosion!

Carrie, that is a beautiful coin purse - best of luck with it!

Sarah

 

[cmpollack]

thanks, Sarah--that's a fabulous clue!

Like your coin purses, the (fullsized) 20s/30s tooled leather purses I've had have had verdi around the snaps too (guess New England weather is more like the UK's than California's... )

I hadn't even considered the absence of it on this one's snap. Even if the verdi had been cleaned off, the finish of the snap where it had been would have been damaged...

So that makes a more recent date much more logical!