The Dickinson press., 1897-06-05
HISTORY OF THE PIN.

lts Use In Various Countries aaa In DaS.
ferent Ago.
As requisite Of the toilet pins
were first used in Britain in the lat
ter part of the fifteenth century, says
the Boston Commercial Bulletin.
They were first made of iron wire,
but in 1540 brass ones were import
ed from France by Catherine How
ard, queen of Henry VII. The pre-
historic pin, however, was a thorn
or fishbone, and had no experience
with or relation to the dry goods or
notion business until Eve improved
upon the fig leaf toilet necessities
The natural thorn is still in use in
some of the upper Egypt districts,
where the Birmingham or the Con.
necticut article is prime curiosity
and an unpopular innovation.
In the ruins of Pompeii Roman
pins of bronze and hairpins of bone
or ivory have been disinterred,
while ancient Egypt has disclosed
the indispensable article having
heads of gold. Bronze pins were
known to the lake dwellers of Eu-
rope, some being artistically orna-
mented and elaborated with ex-
quisite skill. Some that have come
to light were on the duplex type,
having double stems, and others the
same in form as the safety pins in
use at the present time. At first
pins were made by fitting point to
a proper length of wire, and then
twisting a piece of fine wire around
the other extremity or fastening it
after twisting in order to form a
knob or head. Ultimately these
operations were SO skillfully con-
Quoted that completely round head
was made of very small size and
scarcely showing the nature Of it's
construction.
Previous to the introduction of
machinery the pin was, of course
entirely hand made and required a
passage through no less than IA
different manipulations before find
ing its way as finished product in
to market. The brass pin which we
see today in it's perfect form and al
most needle pointed is turned out at
an almost Incredible speed by spe-
cial machinery, the daily product
of Birmingham alone being placed
at about 4O, 100000.
The solid headed pin, as differing
from that just described, was de-
vised by an ingenious Yankee and
came into use in 1910. The domestic
pin was of sufficient Importance in
1543 to warrant an act providing
that "no person shall put to sale
any pins but such as shall be dou-
BILE headed and have the heads SOL
dered fast to the pin, well smoothed,
the shanks well shapen, the point
well rounded, filed, canted and
sharpened." About 1700 the manu-
facture of pins became quite a bust
ness in Bristol and Birmingham,
employing a large number of per-
sons.
The pin industry in the United
States was begun by colonists Of the
Carolinas, but it was not until the
year 1885 that it reached any con-
siderable proportions, the pins used
coming from England, although the
black pins used in black goods came
from France. The industry is now
largely centered in Connecticut, al
though there are large factories in
Detroit, Cincinnati and various
points in the eastern states. As an
article Of domestic use the modern
pin is now practically ubiquitous
and indispensable. The tonnage
of metals annually used in it's man
ufacture would astound any who
have had no interest in looking into
the subject, while the number ot
thousands Of operatives employed
in the manufacture in this spe&ial
industry is surprising.