Q: I’m an avid collector of hatpins and hatpin holders. I haven’t been able to identify the maker or date of this hatpin holder. It has this mark on the bottom and has 13 holes in the top. I would appreciate any help.
A: Hatpin holders were popular from 1860 to 1920, when hatpins were fashionable. The large, heavy hats of that era needed long hatpins to hold them in place. Hatpin holders were made of ceramics, glass, or metal. Most have six or eight holes. Holders with more holes were usually for men’s tie pins, but the decoration on your holder is too feminine for a man. Holders with saucers, like yours, were made later than those without saucers. The saucer probably held the “nibs” that covered the end of the pins. Longer hatpins, popular from 1890 to 1914, protruded from hats and were considered “dangerous” in crowded places, so laws were passed in some areas limiting the length of hatpins or requiring that the sharp ends be covered. A woman protesting the law said she removed her hatpin when leaving the street car alone in the evening and held it as a weapon to protect herself. Hatpin holders have been reproduced and fantasy holders have been made. The mark on your hatpin holder is not clear, but it looks like a mark used on fantasy hatpin holders made in Taiwan since the 1980s.
