Royal Albert | Bone China | Moss Rose | Collector's Thimble | England

Royal Albert | Bone China | Moss Rose | Collector's Thimble | England

The thimble began as a working tool and became, over time, something people kept — which is perhaps the most honest definition of a collectible there is.

Royal Albert emerged from the Longton pottery business established by Thomas Clark Wild in the 1890s, and the Royal Albert name came into use around 1904. The firm made collector’s thimbles in a number of its patterns. Moss Rose is decorated with a half-open pink moss rose, forget-me-not blue florets and unfolding green seed pods on a warm white ground.

This example follows the standard collector’s form: a tapering conical body rising from a slightly wider base, with a smooth domed top. The exterior carries the Moss Rose transfer decoration repeated twice around the body, each showing the familiar pink rose spray with green and blue detailing against the white bone china ground. A fine gold band encircles the base.

The underside bears the full backstamp:
ROYAL ALBERT / Bone China / ENGLAND / “MOSS ROSE” in the standard pink script mark.

The thimble is in very good condition. The transfer decoration remains sharp and intact, and the gold band shows only light surface wear consistent with age. There are no chips, cracks, or losses.

Key Details

• Maker: Royal Albert
• Material: Bone china
• Pattern: Moss Rose
• Form: Collector’s thimble
• Backstamp: Royal Albert Bone China England — Moss Rose
• Country of origin: England
• Height: 2.8 cm
• Weight: 10 g
• Condition: Very good — minor wear to the gilt band; no chips, cracks or repairs

Collector Appeal

The small conical form carries the Moss Rose decoration on a miniature scale, finished with a narrow gilt band at the base.

Other ‘Moss Rose’ pieces from the shop: cup and saucer, trio, 47-piece dinner service and trio and candlesticks.

Small enough to lose, particular enough to keep — which is what makes a thimble worth finding in the first place.