This is the place to come to learn about Avery style needle cases.

Special Topics

Have you ever wondered what the town of Redditch was like?  Do any of the buildings related to William Avery still exist?  How about the church he attended?  Have you ever wanted to visit the Forge Needle Museum in Redditch or the museums in the Birmingham area to see if any needle cases are on display?

Additionally, do you question why some of the needle case design/patent dates on this website don’t match with the ones listed in Horowitz and Mann’s book entitled Victorian Brass Needlecases?  Would you like to know how the design/patent research was done?  Are you interested in learning how we became interested in Avery needle cases in the first place?

Since these are some of the questions Avery collectors often have, we decide to create a webpage devoted to answering these and other similar questions.   Furthermore, to make this page more interesting, we’d like to invite you to share the stories or articles you’ve prepared.  The only requirement for an item to be added here is that it must in some way relate to Avery needle cases.  Therefore, if you have something to share or have ideas about other topics you’d like to know more about, please contact us.  With your input we can make this the “everything you ever wanted to know about Avery needle cases website”!  We look forward to hearing from you.

Terry’s Topics

Topics listed here were created by the author of this website unless otherwise noted.  Additional items will be added in the future as soon as the topic is researched and/or a story or article is written.

1. Dorset Thimble Society Spring 2024 Newsletter Article about Terry Meinke's October 2023 Presentation
1. Most Common and Rarest Avery Style Needle Cases - A 2023 PowerPoint presentation at DTS
2. My 2022 Avery Research Trip to the United Kingdom by Terry Meinke TCI Bulletin Fall 2022
3. 2022 Avery Grave Visit
4. My Latest Avery Acquistions by Terry Meinke DTS Newsletter Spring 2022
5. The Latest Additions to My Avery Collection by Terry Meinke TCI Bulletin Fall 2021
6. The Avery Quadruple Needle Case Known as "The Lady Mayoress of London" TCI Bulletin Fall 2020
7. The History of Avery Needle Cases - Feckenham Forester Issue No. 7 January 2020
8. Creating Memories with Avery Needle Cases and Other Sewing Items - TCI Bulletin Fall 2017
9. Avery Needle Cases - History, Design, Variety and Value - A 2017 PowerPoint presentation at the Forge Mill
10. My Collection of Avery Needle Cases - A 2017 PowerPoint presentation at DTS
11. Avery Needle Cases - History, Design, Variety and Value - A 2016 PowerPoint presentation at NTCSA
12. Exploring Avery Needle Cases - A 2014 PowerPoint presentation at TCI
13. My Visit to England in Search of William Avery - TCI Bulletin Spring 2013
14. Factors That Influence Value
15. My Avery Collection
16. History of a Needle by Edgar R. S. Bartleet
17. Old Redditch Being an Early History of the Town by William Avery
18. Patent Analysis - Comparison of this Website's Research to Horowitz and Mann’s Patent/Design Registration Dates
19. Patent/Design Registration Research – How it was accomplished
20. Patent Information
21. Rarest and Most Common Designs
22. Registration Marks on Avery Needle Cases
23. Reproductions
24. Tips for Collectors
25. Why the Book by D. Leonardt is Not a Needle Case

Contributor Topics

Topics listed here were created by contributors to this website.  Additional items will be added in the future within a few weeks after they are received.

Master List

To date 227 Avery style needle cases have been discovered.  Visit these pages to see photographs of each design as well as the original design registration or patent and gain knowledge about variations within each design.

master list icon

Avery Survey

In 2013 an Avery Survey was created in order to gather as much information as possible about Avery style needle cases from collectors and interested parties around the world.  The Avery Survey is easy to complete and gives you a chance to contribute to this important research.  Be sure and stop here to see the survey results.

survey icon

About Us

Learn how the author turned a hobby cross stitching antique sampler reproductions into a passion for collecting Avery needle cases resulting in a published book, a Wikipedia article, a TCI Bulletin article and conference presentation and this website.

sampler icon

New Avery Books

The companion books to Estelle Horowitz and Ruth Mann’s “Victorian Brass Needlecases” have finally been written.  Visit this page to learn more about how to order Terry Meinke's four books "A Guide to Collecting Avery Needle Cases - Third Edition" published in 2023, "Histories of the Redditch Area Manufacturers Associated with Avery Needle Cases" published in 2020, "Histories of the Birmingham Area Companies Associated with Avery Needle Cases" published in 2022, "Histories of the London Area Companies Associated with Avery Needle Cases" published in 2023, and “My Avery Needle Case Collection” published in April 2012.

A Guide to Collecting Avery Needle Cases