Not on display

Coin purse

Coin Purse
1875 - 1899
Place of origin
France (made)

Coin Purse - Turtle shell with gold and silver inlay. Interior Pink watered silk lining.

Object details

Category
Accessories
Object type
Coin purse
TitleCoin purse
Materials and techniques
tortoiseshell (Erectmochelys Intricata)
Animal Part: Shell, Erectmochelys Intricata
Brief description
Coin purse, turtle shell, gold, silver, silk, France, late 19th c.

Physical description
Coin Purse - Turtle shell with gold and silver inlay. Interior Pink watered silk lining.
Gallery label
(12/2020)
Coin purses or porte-monnaies were popular in France during the late 19th century. They were often comprised of two ivory, mother-of-pearl or turtle-shell plaques attached to a leather frame and fastened with a metal clasp. Inside, small compartments separated coins of 25 and 50 centimes. Being tiny made the purses easy to slip inside a pocket or a handbag. More elaborate and precious coin purses were were produced by jewellers such as Tiffany & Co., designed to appeal to wealthier customers.

V&A, Room 40, Bags: Inside Out
Bibliographic reference
Bags V&A Exhibition (Project) Bags: Inside Out (2020) Lucia Savi, V&A Publishing, pg 67
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.165-2019

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Record createdDecember 11, 2018
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1467506/coin-purse-coin-purse/
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