Hatpins reached a peak of popularity between the 1890s and 1920s, as music hall actresses like Lillian Russell and Lillian Langtry fueled the popularity of large elaborate hats without bonnet strings. Having originated in the 1850s to secure straw hats, hatpins became longer and more ornate over time (1910 was the height of hatpin length, with the stems alone reaching 10 to 12 inches).

The mass produced white or black bead on a pin was the basic 'working girl' hatpin, but many high end hatpins were made by jewelers of brass, copper, sterling silver, gold, or gold or silver wash. Other materials included Carnival glass, rhinestones, hand blown molded glass, micro mosaic, or hand painted or transferred porcelain like the Japanese Satsuma. There were also hatpins made with ivory, emeralds, stone, amber, tortoise shell, jet, celluloid and other plastics, mother of pearl, and coral.

Key hatpin manufacturers included Unger Brothers, Lincoln, William Kerr, Alvin Manufacturing, R. Blackington and Company, Day and Clarke, and The Sterling Company. Notable hatpin...

Hatpins spanned many styles including Baroque, Etruscan Revival, Greek Revival, Egyptian Revival, Oriental influence, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and even Art Deco, before waning around WW1 when metals became scarce and hats got smaller.

Collectors also seek specialized hatpins, including hallmarked hatpins, hatpins that serve vanities, opera hatpins, and compact hatpins that have a mirror and a powder puff. Amethyst and pearls are popular, as well as Plique-a-Jour enamel. Hatpin holders are also sought after.

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Recent News: Hatpins and Hatpin Holders

Source: Google News

My Passion: Accidental online discovery fuels poetic passion
Statesman Journal, May 19th

One grandmother collected miniature shoes. Another collected old milk jugs and antique irons. My grandfather collected coins, my mother collected hatpin holders and my father collected iron animal doorstops. One aunt collected teacups, another souvenir...Read more

'Seeking the Unknown,' antique biology at The Historic New Orleans Collection
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or “Can their long lower jaws be made into hat pins?” Plus, it was the Age of Enlightenment, when scientific investigation was vying with religious devotion for Man's soul. Theoretically anyway, knowledge staves off existential fear. Finally, there's...Read more

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Perdido Rotary Walk In The Park June 1 at Big Lagoon
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Fees are as follows: $15 for a T-shirt, hat pin and walk credit; $8 for a hat pin and walk credit or $3 for an OIVV/AVA credit. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult and all fees cover entrance to Big Lagoon State Park. Special prizes will...Read more

Dick Cheney: Benghazi on a par with 9/11 - AMERICAblog
AMERICAblog (blog), May 14th

go to the funeral of their murdered cohort and they all make sure he's dead: one guy looks at him closely and tries to wake him with a loud noise, another guy holds a mirror up to his mouth to check for breath, and the third simply jabs him with a...Read more

ARE YOU PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN?
NewsWithViews.com, May 13th

I remember my grandma pulling out her hatpin and telling me to poke grandpa with it because he'd fallen asleep in church. (I didn't do it, and she was only kidding). I remember all the beautiful old hymns we sung, and I can still sing from memory today...Read more

Putnam County Neighbors: Bostwick Blueberry Festival is Saturday
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Also for sale are hats, mugs, hat pins and bags. Go to www.bluecrabfestival.com for colors and sizes. Lots of new events and fun things are planned for this year's festival including zip line rides. St. James UMC will be holding an antiques auction...Read more

Stephen McGinty: Judging a book by the cover
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I thought of a red hat pin that I stuck into the title of the book to suggest death or something like that. He said: 'It can't be red, because it wasn't a new death, it didn't just happen.' So I changed the colour to purple and added a black border to...Read more