I enjoyed writing about my exotic locket the other day so I thought I would share another little item in my possession. Again, I inherited this from my paternal grandmother, a small leather purse or wallet.
The brown leather is beautifully soft with a small tear. The initials E.T. have been punched on the front and it is hallmarked in four places – on the lock and two corners. It seems strange that such a small item should have to bear so many hallmarks.
I think the hallmarks mean the following:
Makers mark = GHJ
9 carat gold
Gold fineness = 375
Anchor = made in Birmingham
Date letter = u is for 1857
So I have a small leather and gold purse stamped with the initials ET. There’s a small loop on the back which suggests it could be worn on a belt.
I don’t have any known ancestors with these initials from this time so the item is a bit of a mystery. It contains a number of foreign coins which I’m going to write about over the coming days. Perhaps they belonged to someone who collected coins but I’m hoping there’s a more interesting story to tell!
