Q: I know thimbles are quite common, but l have one made of brass which fits in a lidded velvet-lined case. The outside of the case is a tartan pattern. Is this very usual, and does it have any value?

Mrs V.

A.Thimbles -- thought to come from an old English word "thymel" meaning thumb-stall -- have been popular as souvenir gifts as far back as the early 1800s, and it was certainly quite common in the Victorian period -- for example in silver, brass and even porcelain -- to be marketed in small, fitted cases, designed as gifts or to be carried in a sewing-kit. Boxed silver examples are sought-after, but even the brass one you describe is worth £30-£40 to a collector. Of course, most old thimbles are worth very little.