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

Click on a photo to see a bigger picture

Josiah Spode founded Spode in 1776. His son, also Josiah, was responsible in 1797 for perfecting the process of adding bone ash to china clay to produce fine bone china, which is still used today as the benchmark for good china. This gives strength, whiteness and translucence to Spode china and this includes their thimbles.

Spode underwent several name changes, according to von Hoelle, until William Copeland's son [Josiah's partner] took over the company in 1833 and from 1847 the name of the firm was Copeland. This name reverted to Spode in 1970 and thimbles, amongst other merchandise, were made in Stoke-on-Trent, England of fine bone china, from 1974. Spode became part of Royal Worcester in 1986, but still produced thimbles with the Spode backstamp. Sadly, production of Spode thimbles was discontinued in 1993.

The thimbles have a recognisable shape which only varies when there is a vertical ridging of the body.

The apexes have a self-patterned floral design, with a slight knob at the centre; this apex is gilded on most of their thimbles, which makes Spode thimbles quite distinctive. Some commemorative Spode thimbles have apex colours matching the rest of the thimble, enriching the thimble to signify a special occasion. Many of Spode's thimbles have patterns from their wider range, like their dinner services. Maroon/magenta and blue are two traditional colours. Magenta is combined with gold and often with green for their commemorative thimbles. Some thimbles are identical except for a handpainted gold rim or the gilded apex. I have never encountered handpainted Spode thimbles - all their patterns are high quality transfers/decals. You will notice that when the design is repeated on the verso of the thimbles that the design is slightly different. So when comparing your thimbles with the photos below, make sure you are looking at the matching side.

I have included the three different version of the Buttercups thimbles - same design but differing backstamps or without the gold apex : thank to Hans.

It is interesting to note that Spode undertook special thimble commissions. These wouldn't have been big commercial runs and of the English quality china thimble makers, Spode led the way on undertaking small commissions.

It's a real delight to find just how many commemorative thimbles have emerged, mainly from the early 1980s, since I created this theme. The commemorative thimbles commissioned for the Victorian Embroiderers' Guild of Victoria 21st anniversary was a small run of 200 thimbles.

Because the Spode thimble production was relatively limited, I have arranged their output alphabetically by subject. The subject chosen is the predominant theme on the thimble. Spode didn't often name their thimble patterns, so the naming used here is quite arbitrary but I have used those names first used by the Thimble Society of London in 1981, when the thimbles would have been readily available.

In under 15 years of thimble production, Spode have left us a legacy of highly collectable thimbles which would make a wonderful niche collection.

Dates have been included where possible.

apexes

undecorated	gilded	William	Pope
30th coronation

birds

English birds gold apex	English birds gold apex	Tropical birds gold apex
Bird and nest on both sides	"Mulberry" blue bird	colourful bird

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butterflies

Butterfly 1993

"Blue butterflies with dandelions" gold apex

"Trapnell" Blue and yellow butterfly turquoise band

English butterflies gold apex

Tropical butterflies gold apex

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christmas   Learn more about Christmas thimbles

1982 gold apex the thimbles are numbered

1983 gold apex the thimbles are numbered

1983 gold apex view 1

1983 gold apex view 2

1984 gold apex

1985 gold apex

1986 gold apex

1986 green band green dot on apex made of ironstone

Twelve Days of Christmas   Different pastel colours, all with gold apex Learn more about Thimble Collectors Club thimbles 1990

Lettering for each day on verso There seems to be a second set of this group - with darker shades - red instead of the pink; a darker blue and deeper green It is difficult to know which came first - seemingly the pastel set

a partridge in a pear tree	2 turtles doves	3 French hens	4 calling birds
5 gold rings	6 geese a-laying	7 swans a-swimming	8 maids a-milking
9 drummers drumming	10 pipers piping	11 ladies dancing	12 lords a-leaping

commemorative   these thimbles are all dated and arranged by date of issue

250th anniversary of Spode 1976 gold apex	Victorian Embroiderers Guild [Australia] 1981	H.R.H. Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer...1981 Royal wedding gold apex BUY THIS THIMBLE
Visit of Pope John Paul to England 1982 gold and magenta apex	H.R.H Prince William of Wales 4 August 1982 inside gold and magenta apex	250th anniversary of Spode 1733-1983 gold apex

Montgolfier Brothers bicentenary of flight 1783-1983 gold and red apex

30th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation 2nd June 1953-1983 blue red and gold apex

10th anniversary of The Royal College of Music 1973-1983 gold dot on apex

Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson Royal wedding July 23 1986 gold apex

country scenes   from Spode traditional red and blue dinner service patterns from hand engravings where the design wraps around the thimble with a gold apex

"Blue Italian - red"

"Traditional - red"

"Traditional - blue"

"Blue Italian - blue"

flowers

"The Flower of the Year"  differing images on each side most with gold apex Learn more about Thimble Collectors Club thimbles

Poppy 1985	Buttercups 1986 BUY THIS THIMBLE	Bluebells 1987
Wild rose 1990	Iris 1991	Foxglove 1992

other flowers

Autumn gold apex	"Balmoral sprays"	"Billingsley Rose" 1993	Buttercups with no date gold apex
Buttercups with no date and no gold apex	"Campanula" Harebells	"Country village" windmill garden scene	"Marlborough Sprays" from dinner service pattern 1915 1993
"Mikado" red chrysanthemum	"Oriental Bird" pink peony	"Posy" or "Bowtie" flowers and ribbon in a band	Primroses and hyacinths gold apex

"Spring clover"	"Summer meadow' buttercup 1980	Tulip with ribbon gold apex

special commissions   these are not commemorative thimbles as they are not dated

Ladies Circle Great Britain & Ireland the Round Table emblem gold apex

Melton Mowbray gold apex

NALG 50 years gold apex

Skegness bright primary colours gold apex

Treasures of the Orient   where design wraps around the thimble gold apex

"Arita"	"Bamboo"	"Cairo"	"Chinese garden"
"Dragons"	"Flying pennant"	"Grasshopper"	"Japan"
"Long Eliza" / "Lange Lijsen"	"Nankin" [fisherman]	"Old peacock"	"Phoenix"

250th anniversary of Spode   1976 the accompanying paperwork states this set was made to celebrate the Spode 250th anniversary the thimbles aren't marked with this date or a name limited to 1000 sets with a gold apex

milkmaid	Imari	elephant
castle	willow pattern	India

other

Floral girls gold apex

Weather girls gold apex

Kite flying gold apex

Painting with trailing ivy on verso gold apex

Couples gold apex	Palms gold apex
Cupids or cherubs turquoise band; the top half is ridged gold apex 1977	Cupids or cherubs white band; the top half is ridged gold apex 1977
Maiden at the well Franklin Mint's Porcelain Houses of the World 1981 from set of 25	Hallmarked Thimbles of the World's Great Porcelain Houses 1985 gold apex from set of 50

The Woodman

Yorkshire rose

Unknown series do any of these belong in a series? all with gold apex

DO YOU KNOW ANY MORE DETAILS ABOUT SPODE THIMBLES? DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SPODE THIMBLES NOT MENTIONED? DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SPODE THIMBLES NOT PICTURED? EMAIL thimbleselect@bigpond.com TO SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

Contributors
Sue Christensen - Val de Vries - Margaret Hickling - Sue Hood - Pat Morris
Joyce Nixon-Smith - David Pantland - Hans-Ulrich Vogel - Joanna Waciorski
Rosalie Webb - Mave Wiskin - Jenny Yuhas

References
Belford, Roz The Spode story   Collector Circle Gazette, vol.6, no.4, spring 1982. p.5-7.
Thimble Society of London, no. 1, winter 1981 , p.6

This listing of Spode Thimbles does not purport to be complete or accurate in all aspects. Rather it invites comment and contribution to add to our knowledge. My thanks to the contributors.

Enjoy!

© Sue Gowan
March 2004

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 11 June 2008