UNIQUE Stern Bro’s. 1913 Thimble
UNIQUE Stern Bro’s. 1913 Thimble
Stern Bros. & Co. of New York’s Sterling Silver Thimble. An antique with clear makers marks and unique double design of waves above striking rounds with no formal ring at the base - belling instead to a rather a graceful finish. This is the thimble amongst the many I’ve been fortunate enough to stare at for hours under magnification that broke the mold. It’s interesting. And I don’t say that about a lot of thimbles. Trust me. It’s different. It feels “better.” I mean. go ahead and try to poke me with a needle. I feel like this thing carries a lot of built-up karma and might just leap to my protection. Seriously.
Size 7. Slightly worn, but still possesses a clarity of design and intricate motif. True silver, (camera created a brassy effect when magnified with flash).
This American-made sterling thimble is marked on the band with "Sterling" and the anchor logo for Stern Bros. & Co. This one also has the size (7) and the Stern Bros "S" trademark inside the top.
(Copied from Carling/admin on Hallmarks & SIlver Database forum)
In 1868, the firm of Stern Brothers was established in Philadelphia. Within a few years, the company expanded and relocated to New York City and entered the diamond and jewellery manufacturing business. From 1890, Stern Brothers used a "fouled anchor" (an anchor entwined with a rope) as their thimble trademark. From the period 1908-1912, the company sometimes used an "S" as its trademark with a "B" in the upper curve and a "C" in the lower curve of the "S". From 1913, the company used a squared "G" with an "S" and a "C" inside after August Goldsmith became a partner. The company shut down and ceased operations in 1933 following the stock market crash of 1929.
On dating Stern Brothers thimbles, Gay Ann Rogers in her book, "American Silver Thimbles" (Haggerston Press, London, 1989) states, "The anchor is significant only when it appears alone. This tends to designate thimbles made from the 1890s to the early 1900s. Later the anchor was stamped in addition to the initials of the company, or, after 1908, the company initials alone were sometimes stamped on the thimble. These are not hard and fast rules, however, and exceptions can be found."
