Unusual, and Functional, Doorknob Head lily of the valley pin perhaps made for collecting autographs

perhaps made for collecting autographs

11 3/4" x 7 7/8"

1860s I believe

the first and most obvious being the tiger swallowtail butterfly hand-stitched to the top of it--tethered just about 140 years ago

There is some light scratching and aging around the edge of the bevelled glass--minor

Unusual, and Functional, Doorknob Head lily of the valley pin perhaps made for collecting autographsSuch a funny one, the likes of which I've never seen, and which it appears to me could in fact be put to use as a door knob either welcoming one into a room or joining one inside like a peeping tom! Heavy I guess stoneware (appears gray where chipped, almost like cement) sculpted over the original handle, then glazed. Plenty of surface chips which seem right in conjunction with his furrowed brow but as a whole seems pretty much indestructible! 7 1 8