Shell purse

In many cases there was extra working of the shell, either grinding down and polishing to expose the mother of pearl or filing to form patterns such as criss-cross designs.

The use of shells as purses mainly dates from the end of the 19th century, when the Victorians love of the natural world and passion for collecting seashells coincided with the middle classes being able to take holidays and make journeys to the seaside on the newly constructed railways.

Visitors to seaside resorts often wished to take back souvenirs of their excursions, and shell purses were one of many items produced by entrepreneurial shopkeepers.

Being small they could at most be used to hold a few coins such gold sovereigns in Victorian times, pills, keys, or special items such as arrowheads, children's milk teeth, etc.

[1] Abalone, various kinds of clams, mussels, limpets and other species of seashells have been used to make shell purses.