Collecting Vintage Silver and Enamel Travel Shield Charms
Vintage silver and enamel souvenir travel shield charms are highly collectible today. Most travel shield charms have enameled pictures of landmarks, animals, flowers, or birds, along with the name of the travel destination on the front. Travel shields are typically made from European silver with a grade of 800 to 835, or 925 sterling silver. There are also very distinctive British charms that have a baked enamel finish on the front.
I've been amazed at the variety of different travel shield charm collections I've seen. There are the expected "Places I've Visited" varieties. And I own a couple of different types of British Zodiac sets with the baked enamel finish. Although they aren't travel related, I consider the Zodiacs an example of shield charms. Additionally I know of collectors that arrange shields of a particular color on their bracelets, or categories of images such as all flowers, or all animal heads. There are also collections from different parts of a specific country, or a collection of cities in an area, various national parks, different zoos, and bust / head images of famous people. And a friend of mine collects just British baked enamel shields.
The best thing about shield charms is there is an abundance of them, both old and new, available in souvenir shops around the world, in antique shops, and on the internet. As a result they are quite inexpensive and it's a great way to get introduced to the world of charm collecting without spending a lot of money. I recommend starting with a few examples that appeal to you. At that point you can decide how you want to proceed with your collection. Your tastes may change several times in the process of experimenting with different arrangements. Above all remember to have fun with your charm collection.
Category: All About Old Jewelry
About the Author (Author Profile)
Wanda Fitzgerald is a Florida native and an vintage charm collector who loves to share her adventures in an e-commerce jewelry business with anyone who is interested.Subscribe
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Hi…
Have you seen a travel shield bracelet that is not of the “dangling” type? That is to say, the charms are a part of the bracelet, affixed to it, is the only way I know to describe it.
I’m on a quest and would greatly appreciate any help you could give me.
Brenda
I’ve seen them on-line for sale from time to time. I have never actually owned one. The ones I’ve seen are typically all relating to one theme, for example I’ve seen them with all Canada shields or all shields from France. I think eBay is the best place to look.
I have a vintage travel charm bracelet with 12 enameled travel charms on it. I cannot find ANY of them on the internet, anywhere. I am wanting to sell this bracelets w/charms, if you have any ideas for this besides ebay, let me know. I do not post on ebay. Deb
There are many on line venues where you can sell your bracelet. For example Bonanza and Ruby Plaza. They don’t have auction functions though so you will have to come up with a price to advertise and that may be difficult if you can’t find comparable charms on the internet. I’m sure there are other sites that offer bidding but I doubt they have as much visibility as eBay so you may not get the market price. Good luck.