Hello, I have just been given 2 coin purses by my father in law and was hoping I could get some information about their age, how they would have been used and maybe their provenance. They are family heirloom and I would love to be able to tell my children more information about them. Thanks in advance for your help! Maggie (I will post one purse here, and do another thread for the second purse)
I agree with Jonathan as to date but would extend it through the first decade of the 20th Century. They didn't change much over quite a number of years, and the frame has a pretty generic decorative pattern. If this one is small it could have been a change-purse for a chatelaine or suspended from a waist sash by a chain and clip, a ribbon and clip or something similar. The beaded pattern is "Pliny's Doves," and the drops at the bottom are unusual; most of these had either a fringe or nothing at the bottom of the bag. The chainmail purse has a finger ring so it could be carried/worn while dancing or other activity requiring free hands. It could be silver, so check the inside of the frame and all edges for an impressed mark and/or have it tested.