Vintage Crochet Sovereign Purse

I happened upon this lovely little crocheted purse at

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/crochet/sovereign-purse.shtml

along with a link to the Hampshire Museum of England which, apparently, collects and displays vintage purses. I love the sites so much I had to share. The instructions claim the purse is easy to crochet, although it looks tricky. Below is a brief history of sovereign purses as shown at http://www.allfreecrafts.com/.

Vintage Crochet Sovereign Purse
This sovereign purse is one of several purse patterns, including a Bridal Beaded Purse which were first published in Beeton's Book of Needlework, 1870. According to A Brief History of Bags and Purses from the Hampshire Museum in England, sovereign purses were coin purses with metal fastenings: Small knitted, netted or crocheted silk or cotton coin purses are also characteristic of [the Victorian] period and were known as stocking purses, or 'miser' purses. By mid century these had metal fastenings and the whole was often made of a delicate metal chain, which supported sovereigns and half sovereigns, hence the term 'sovereign purse'. Chamois leather was also used, together with metal rings to secure the coins. Sovereign cases were of circular metal design, with an internal spring to release a coin at a time. It is worth noting that in North America handbags are still called purses, which may refer back to their introduction there from Europe after 1800, when they were still primarily coin purses.

You can search the museum's extensive gallery of antique bags and purses, which is a great tool if you're trying to date or research a vintage purse.