Build and share your knowledge about thimbles - new topics added regularly

THERE ARE 30 "LEARN MORE ABOUT..." TOPICS
British Placenames | British Royalty on Thimbles | British Silversmiths | Charles May | Christmas | Coalport | Dorcas Thimble Boxes
Easter | Gadgets | Francesca | Hallmarked Thimbles set | 'Mother' | The World's Greatest Porcelain Houses | Royal Albert | Royal Crown Derby
Royal Worcester Handpainted Thimbles | Royal Worcester Decal Thimbles | S + H Foskett
Silver Advertising Thimbles | Spode | Stratnoid | SylvaC | Thimble Books
Thimble Collectors Club | Thimble Societies | Thimbles with Slogans | Thimblefuls
Victorian Silver Scenic Thimbles | Wedgwood Jasperware | Wedgwood Bone China Thimbles

THERE ARE 22 PAGES OF THIMBLES & OTHER ITEMS TO BUY
aluminium 1 - books 1 - brass 1 - china 6 - display cases 1
gold 1 - needlework tools 2 - other collectables 1 - pewter 1 - plastic 1
silver 3 - steel & metal 1 - unusual materials 1 - wood 1

I have often been asked to do a thimble topic on Royal Albert bone china thimbles. There are a couple of reasons why it has taken me so long to research this topic. Firstly, I didn't think I owned enough Royal Albert thimbles to undertake this subject! I was wrong - there is a very small selection of them!!

There is very little available about English Royal Albert bone china and their production of thimbles. According to the accompanying leaflets for the TCC thimbles, the company was founded in 1896 by Thomas Wild, in Longton, in the English Potteries. They became part of the Royal Doulton group in 1964. The part of the name 'Albert' is named from Albert, the Prince who was to become George VI. Currently Royal Albert is part of the Wedgwood group. The first thimbles produced by Royal Albert, are identical in shape to those made by Royal Doulton: the same thimble moulds would have been used. They are taller than most other English bone china thimbles and the apex is flat - but once one knows these characteristics, their shape is quite distinctive. It is only in recent times that a smaller thimble, with more rounded apex, has appeared and this is only found for the Old Country Roses designs!

I don't know whether Royal Albert are still producing thimbles - do you? I would presume not. Old Country Roses may be the only one still in production? There is a word of caution on the manufacture of Royal Albert tho - Royal Albert has been manufactured in Indonesia since 2002 - look for the items marked 'Made in England' to be sure you are getting some of the original RA thimbles!!

The most famous and widely available design of Royal Albert dinner services and tea sets is Old Country Roses - and it was their first thimble design - it was also issued later thru Thimble Collectors Club. The design was first introduced as a pattern on general items by RA - in 1962 - created by Harold Holdcraft.

This brings me to my second reluctance to looking into Royal Albert thimbles - I knew I'd be entering a minefield as Royal Albert have a HUGE range of backstamps - with different ones used on identical thimbles!! I have attempted to tackle this but I know I have only just touched on the Royal Albert backstamp "problem" for thimble collectors. I know from some of my other topics that many collectors take great note of differences amongst backstamps - and I hope you'll be the first to share your knowledge if you own a specific thimble.

I have thus tackled this topic slightly differently from my other topics. I have tried to include all the differing backstamps at the beginning and referenced this to as many of the thimbles that I am able. Not only do the colours change, the script changes and sometimes 'bone china' is missing'. The backstamp can include "England" or "Made in England"; some have neither. Does it matter? I have supplied them for those who do care! Please let me know of others I have missed.

For a change, as this is a small topic and space allows, I would like to be able to share the verso side of each thimble [except where both sides are identical - and this will be included in the description]. This way no-one can be fooled intoto buying the same thimble from different views!! Please share photos of the backs of thimbles where they are missing - many thanks!

I understand that one of the problems with the naming of Royal Albert thimbles is that those made for the English market are unnamed in the thimbles but those made for the overseas' markets, the designs are named in the thimbles. Do you know if this is correct? This may probably be the answer as to why there are so many differing RA backstamps?

Royal Albert didn't issue many commemoratives: with the last issue known, being in 1986! The Wind in the Willows is the only set that is dated - the date forms part of the backstamp.

Their greatest output are sets of thimbles and again following from the popularity of their tea services, the Flowers of the Month set of 12 was widely collected. This set had the month lettered above the flowers. There is a second less well-known Flowers of the Month set, where the month is named below the flower. I only know of three at this stage - please help!! A more recent set of 12 floral designs has familiar but not identical designs from earlier issues. They are not marked with the names inside the thimbles.

ROYAL ALBERT THIMBLES

Commemoratives marriage of Charles and Diana 1981 backstamp 2	Commemoratives Pope John Paul II's visit to the UK 1982 - 1 backstamp 6	Commemoratives Pope John Paul II's visit to the UK 1982 - 2 backstamp 6
Commemoratives birth of Prince William 1982 backstamp 6	Commemoratives National Garden Festival Liverpool 1984 backstamp 7	Commemoratives marriage of Andrew and Sarah 1986 backstamp ?
Commemoratives National Garden Festival Stoke 1986 backstamp 7	Flower set of 12 Blue Blossom backstamp 1 identical on both sides	Flower set of 12 Celebration backstamp 1 identical on both sides
Flower set of 12 Constance backstamp 1	Flower set of 12 Lady Carlyle backstamp 1	Flower set of 12 Lady Hamilton backstamp 1 identical on both sides
Flower set of 12 Lavender Rose backstamp 1 identical on both sides	Flower set of 12 Lydia backstamp 1	Flower set of 12 Memory Lane backstamp 1 identical on both sides
Flower set of 12 Moonlight Rose backstamp 1 identical on both sides	Flower set of 12 Old Country Roses backstamp 1 identical on both sides	Flower set of 12 Operetta backstamp 1 identical on both sides
Flower set of 12 Sweet Violets backstamp 1 identical on both sides	Flowers of the Month 1 January backstamp 5	Flowers of the Month 1 February backstamp 5
Flowers of the Month 1 March backstamp 5	Flowers of the Month 1 April backstamp 5	Flowers of the Month 1 May backstamp 5
Flowers of the Month 1 June backstamp 5	Flowers of the Month 1 July backstamp 5	Flowers of the Month 1 August backstamp 5 and 8
Flowers of the Month 1 September backstamp 5	Flowers of the Month 1 October backstamp 5	Flowers of the Month 1 November backstamp 4
Flowers of the Month 1 December backstamp 5	Flowers of the Month 2 March backstamp ?	Flowers of the Month 2 May backstamp ?
Flowers of the Month 2 August backstamp ?	Flowers of the Month 2 September backstamp ?	Flowers of the Month 2 October backstamp ?
Flowers - others American Beauty backstamp ?	Flowers - others Cottage Garden backstamp ?	Flowers - others Forget-Me-Not backstamp ?
Flowers - others Highland Thistle backstamp ?	Flowers - others Lavender Rose - 2 backstamp 12	Flowers - others Moonlight Rose - 2 backstamp ? identical on both sides
Flowers - others Moss Rose like backstamp 12	Flowers - others Lavender Rose - 2 backstamp 12	Flowers - others Moonlight Rose - 2 backstamp ? identical on both sides
Flowers - others Poinsettia - 1 backstamp 13 identical on both sides	Flowers - others Poinsettia - 2 backstamp ?	Flowers - others Provincial Flowers Alberta Rose backstamp ? one of the Canadian Provincial flowers
Flowers - others Provincial Flowers Mountain Avens backstamp ? one of the Canadian Provincial flowers	Flowers - others Provincial Flowers Pitcher Plant backstamp ? one of the Canadian Provincial flowers	Flowers - others Provincial Flowers Prairie Lily backstamp ? one of the Canadian Provincial flowers
Flowers - others Serenity backstamp 7 identical on both sides issued by Thimble Collectors Club [TCC]	Flowers - others Sweet Violets - 2 backstamp ?	Flowers - others Sweet violets - 3 backstamp ?
Flowers - others Tenderness backstamp ?	Flowers - others backstamp 16 identical on both sides	Flowers - others backstamp 7
Flowers - others © 1990 backstamp 15	Flowers - others backstamp 5 World's Greatest Porcelain Houses set [25]	Wind in the Willows 1987 Badger backstamp 14
Wind in the Willows 1987 Mole backstamp 14	Wind in the Willows 1987 Ratty backstamp 14	Wind in the Willows 1987 Toad backstamp 14
Others Red Squirrel backstamp 7 issued by the Thimble Collectors Club [TCC]	Others Hallmarked Thimbles of the World's Greatest Porcelain Houses set [50] no backstamp	Others special commission for David Whitehead & Sons backstamp 17 identical on both sides

ROYAL ALBERT BOXES

Flowers of the month	Flowers of the month	Wind in the Willows	Moss Rose
others

DO YOU KNOW ANY MORE DETAILS ABOUT ROYAL ALBERT THIMBLES? YOU MAY KNOW THE MISSING NAMES, ESPECIALLY OF THE FLOWERS, OR KNOW OF OTHER ROYAL ALBERT THIMBLES NOT ON THIS LIST. I AM ESPECIALLY LOOKING FOR MISSING BACKSTAMPS, OR THE VERSO VIEWS THAT ARE MISSING!! EMAIL thimbleselect@bigpond.com TO SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

References

Royal Albert patterns website

Contributors

Sue Burt - Pam Chappell - Kaylene Harris - Margaret Hickling - Elaine Pollard - Hans Vogel - Rosalie Webb - Mavis Wiskin

This listing of Royal Albert thimbles does not purport to be complete or accurate in all aspects
Rather it invites comment and contribution to add to our knowledge of these collectable thimbles and boxes
My thanks to the other contributors

Enjoy!

© Sue Gowan
April 2008

THERE ARE 30 "LEARN MORE ABOUT..." TOPICS
British Placenames | British Royalty on Thimbles | British Silversmiths | Charles May | Christmas | Coalport | Dorcas Thimble Boxes
Easter | Gadgets | Francesca | Hallmarked Thimbles set | 'Mother' | The World's Greatest Porcelain Houses | Royal Albert | Royal Crown Derby
Royal Worcester Handpainted Thimbles | Royal Worcester Decal Thimbles | S + H Foskett
Silver Advertising Thimbles | Spode | Stratnoid | SylvaC | Thimble Books
Thimble Collectors Club | Thimble Societies | Thimbles with Slogans | Thimblefuls
Victorian Silver Scenic Thimbles | Wedgwood Jasperware | Wedgwood Bone China Thimbles

THERE ARE 22 PAGES OF THIMBLES & OTHER ITEMS TO BUY
aluminium 1 - books 1 - brass 1 - china 6 - display cases 1
gold 1 - needlework tools 2 - other collectables 1 - pewter 1 - plastic 1
silver 3 - steel & metal 1 - unusual materials 1 - wood 1

Any questions or comments?
thimbleselect@bigpond.com

Last updated 14 August 2008

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