If you dismiss the thimble as just one of the game tokens in Monopoly, think again. Even though most thimble makers have now gone out of business, this sewing tool is important enough to get its own museum. The Fingerhut Museum in Creglingen, Germany displays thimbles and other sewing tools of every style, type and make from all over the world. Starting in early Ancient Rome and Russia to the development of valuable decorative British and American silver and porcelain collectibles of the 19th and 20th centuries, owners Thorvald and Brigitte Grief also pay tribute to the history of thimble manufacturers and production, specifically the Gabler Company. There’s even a goldsmith’s shop, which produces a small range of specially designed thimbles. Want to know how old a thimble might be? Before the 1700s a thimble’s small dimples were made by hand punching, but later on, machines took over. If you find a thimble with an irregular pattern of dimples, it was likely made before the 1800s. Even though 3000 thimbles sounds impressive, the museum can’t beat Donna Decator of Kentwood, Michigan, who has the world’s largest thimble collection…4,930 to be exact. But now Donna has some competition. Gloria Casar of Alicante, Spain claims to have over 7000. Did you hear that, Guinness World Records?
The Fingerhut Museum in Creglingen, Germany
