CLUB DESCRIPTION:

A group of enthusiastic Hatpin and Hatpin Holder collectors who met May 6th, 1989 formed this club. The purpose of the club is to provide knowledge about the history and value of Hatpins and Hatpin Holders. The club meets quarterly during the year. Meetings are held the 2nd Saturday of January, April, July and October. Programs cover various types of Hatpins and related subjects.

A quarterly newsletter is published and mailed to all members. If you would like a sample newsletter, please send a check for $6.00 payable to American Hatpin Society to the address on the opposite page.

Annual dues are $35.00. The dues help offset the production costs of the newsletter and operating expenses.

MEMBERS:

Officers of the club are:

Hatpins - A Brief History

Before hatpins as we know them today were made, the crafters in Great Britain hand made their pins. These were needed to fasten the head pieces such as veils and wimples in place. The process was a cottage industry involving the entire family and was slow and expensive.

Large quantities of pins were needed, and since the supply could not keep up with demand, British merchants began importing them from France. Parliament was alarmed at the effect of the imports on the balance of trade. So it passed an act restricting the sale of pins to two days a year, the first and second of January. The ladies of that time would save money all year to be spent on pins in January. This could be the source of the term "pin money." Queen Victoria taxed her subjects at the beginning of each year to pay for her pins (another possible source of the term "pin money").

In 1832 the pin making machine was invented in the U.S. and production of pins with long tapering points began. Hatpins became fashionable and affordable. Eventually, the mass produced and inexpensive machine made pins put the hand crafters out of business.

Source - The Encyclopedia of Hatpins and Hatpin Holders by Lillian Baker .

ARTICLES:

• Enamel, by Pamela Barrett.
• Unger Bros. Hatpins, by David E. Fairbrothers

APPLY:

This is your chance to join a club focused entirely on your interests. Print out an application to the American Hatpin Society.