Pin – Works – Southwark Heritage

Date43-1600

MediumBrass

DimensionsObject/Work: 63 x 4 x 4 mm

ClassificationsMiscellaneous Equipment

Terms

Object numberc02700

DescriptionBrass pin mounted on card. Long pointed stem of metal with a bulbous head. Found in the Thames, London. This item is hard for us to date but pins like these are commonly anywhere from 1400 to 1600. It could be earlier. However before the 19th century pins would have been hand made. They were not the throw away items we might regard them as today, people looked after and resharpened their pins. Pinmakers were a protected trade and had their own corporation from 1636. Pins were used to hold clothes on the wearer and so were vital for dressing before buttons became predominant. Not everything held on the body could necessarily be buttoned on, hence pins remained useful in garment wear until very recently.

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