Word of the Day: Digitubalism

Digitubalism is the proper term for wearing a thimble, which feels like the sort of word that should earn you a free coffee just for knowing it. And once you start looking at thimbles closely, it’s easy to see why they’ve been collected for generations. Thimbles might be small, but as collectables they carry a surprising amount of history in the palm of your hand.

The earliest thimbles go back a very long way, even pre-medieval, and the medieval examples are often known as “beehives” because of their distinctive domed shape. The thimbles shown here are much later versions, made for everyday sewing and tailoring – but they still tell a brilliant story of changing materials, styles, and social habits.

One of the easiest ways to spot how thimbles evolved is simply by comparing sizes. In the first photo, you can see adult and children’s thimbles from the early 1900s, typically made in steel or brass. Alongside them are open-ended stitching thimbles, designed for a slightly different grip and sewing technique.

There’s also a wonderful group of American advertising thimbles, including a Coca-Cola example from the era when Coke was priced at just five cents – a tiny time capsule of everyday life.

For collectors, fully hallmarked silver thimbles are always a premium, but perhaps the most fascinating are the wartime pieces. During the war effort, a Bakelite thimble was issued as part of the personal military sewing kit, known as a “housewife”.

And then, for something completely different: a Kingswood wooden thimble, and finally a gold example… which, if you’re feeling romantic, may once have belonged to a princess.