Why Bother. Why Annotate, Research? Do Place, Military, Group Memorabilia, Even Stories of Fashion, Matter? Yes
Why personalize hatpins. Why try to get beyond the category of mere "collectible;" to see the individuals, the events, among the mass of items now for sale or view.
Why? It is history and a connection to the past, and the wearer. In 1903, even the NYT had an article about a woman's hatpins as a clue to her character, whether she jabbed them in regardless of prior holes, how many she used to tilt the hat, multiple hatpins at once, and whether hatpins were an improvement on sensible strings. See ://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A03E1DF1539E433A25751C2A9679D946297D6CF/
We have looked on eBay and auction houses and private sales, and considered just a mass sale. Hatpins are indeed collectible. They bring in money, and are even disregarded and sold by lot if that is what it takes.
Which pins held these great hats? This, an old, unused postcard from a London series.
But hatpins, and military buttons in particular that were made into hatpins (we have those, no loose buttons), may carry more meaning than that. The wearers of the hatpins could well have had some life connection to the particular battle participant; or to a commemoration; or just to a beautiful setting. Or, it might have been worn just to be patriotic, see ://www.antiqueshoppefl.com/archives/hatpins.html. Perhaps there was a death that the button-hatpin represented.
As to costume pins, even the better ones, someone wanted that - wore it, coaxed a spouse, perhaps, to buy it for her. Whatever. It meant something. We wish we could see the particular hat.
Our personal choice, then, is to take time. Avoid trivializing hatpins as mere collectibles. On The Road appraisers have gone over the top in valuation. Maybe they are right. Ours, however, are not just glitz. They are people.
Mere collectibles? No. They represent lives, events, feelings, fashion, specific people. As to the military ones, we have some from the Civil War, through WWI. And Knights Templar groups, and crests of states, and families. After WWI, hats became less fashionable, and hair shorter. But we want to remember.
So we look up stuff. And find fun, and even tragedy if the bullet hatpin we have meant that someone was killed. The Howard and Marjorie Scharfe Hatpin Collection - coming to life again.
Etty Rouk. For example, see hatpin #7 at Hatpins Collection, Military Buttons. The New Zealand Volunteers WWI small button turned into a modest hatpin. Follow the sites, and find the lady connected to the New Zealand Volunteers, at Gallipoli, photographed with them and looking right at you - there she is, brave Etty Rouk. Read her story there - only found while looking up a little military button.
We thought it was five men from the Images photo, no, it is four men and a woman. Etty is among them, bringing venereal disease treatment to the soldiers. Medicine over morality judgments. The army took over the effort ultimately; and then took all the credit for the kits' effectiveness, while barring her from the news.
See what we find? Gallipoli and safe sex in WWI. Never underestimate a button, or a brooch, or a special gemstone, or the hatpin it became. There is a story behind it.
Why? It is history and a connection to the past, and the wearer. In 1903, even the NYT had an article about a woman's hatpins as a clue to her character, whether she jabbed them in regardless of prior holes, how many she used to tilt the hat, multiple hatpins at once, and whether hatpins were an improvement on sensible strings. See ://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A03E1DF1539E433A25751C2A9679D946297D6CF/
We have looked on eBay and auction houses and private sales, and considered just a mass sale. Hatpins are indeed collectible. They bring in money, and are even disregarded and sold by lot if that is what it takes.
Which pins held these great hats? This, an old, unused postcard from a London series.But hatpins, and military buttons in particular that were made into hatpins (we have those, no loose buttons), may carry more meaning than that. The wearers of the hatpins could well have had some life connection to the particular battle participant; or to a commemoration; or just to a beautiful setting. Or, it might have been worn just to be patriotic, see ://www.antiqueshoppefl.com/archives/hatpins.html. Perhaps there was a death that the button-hatpin represented.
As to costume pins, even the better ones, someone wanted that - wore it, coaxed a spouse, perhaps, to buy it for her. Whatever. It meant something. We wish we could see the particular hat.
Our personal choice, then, is to take time. Avoid trivializing hatpins as mere collectibles. On The Road appraisers have gone over the top in valuation. Maybe they are right. Ours, however, are not just glitz. They are people.
Mere collectibles? No. They represent lives, events, feelings, fashion, specific people. As to the military ones, we have some from the Civil War, through WWI. And Knights Templar groups, and crests of states, and families. After WWI, hats became less fashionable, and hair shorter. But we want to remember.
So we look up stuff. And find fun, and even tragedy if the bullet hatpin we have meant that someone was killed. The Howard and Marjorie Scharfe Hatpin Collection - coming to life again.
Etty Rouk. For example, see hatpin #7 at Hatpins Collection, Military Buttons. The New Zealand Volunteers WWI small button turned into a modest hatpin. Follow the sites, and find the lady connected to the New Zealand Volunteers, at Gallipoli, photographed with them and looking right at you - there she is, brave Etty Rouk. Read her story there - only found while looking up a little military button.
We thought it was five men from the Images photo, no, it is four men and a woman. Etty is among them, bringing venereal disease treatment to the soldiers. Medicine over morality judgments. The army took over the effort ultimately; and then took all the credit for the kits' effectiveness, while barring her from the news.
See what we find? Gallipoli and safe sex in WWI. Never underestimate a button, or a brooch, or a special gemstone, or the hatpin it became. There is a story behind it.
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