According to HGTV's "Collectible Treasures", most needle books are advertising premiums from the 20's through the 50's. Unfortunately they did not tell the whole story. I have seen catalogs which feature them for sale and I have some in my collection that pre-date the 1920's. This collection began with one needle book purchased at a yard sale for less than a dollar. I fell in love with the beautiful graphics and decided to collect them. In case you are asking yourself, "What is a needle book?", a needle book is literally a booklet of sewing needles. They are made of lightweight cardboard, kind of like the cover of a paperback book, though the older ones do not have the "shine" of today's covers and are made of thicker paper. Their average size is about the same as that of a post card. Inside there are various sized needles and usually a needle threader. The needles are foil-stuck, cloth-stuck, or presented in little packets. They were much prettier than comparable items available to women today. It is amazing to think that at the time, many were giveaways. Eventually, I will display my entire collection. I hope you enjoy your visit to my museum. I plan to update my exhibit during the first week of each month. Please come back soon!
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