When vending at a Highlands game, there are few tasks as rewarding as matching a customer with the perfect antique kilt pin. It might be the color, the silver work, the history, or just the aesthetic, but each pin finds a forever home soon enough. When our customers leave the booth, new treasure in hand, we always give them a word of caution: Be sure to properly secure your pin.
With brooches having fallen out of style several decades ago, most customers aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of pin security. Particularly when actually worn on a kilt, an antique pin can get bobbed around quite a bit. Most originals from the Edwardian era or earlier likely have the original hook clasp (below, first). Pressure alone keeps the pin in place. Later pins may have the more familiar barrel clasp (below, second) — a little more secure, but certainly not fool proof.
Victorian Hook Clasp
Modern Barrel Clasp
The solution to proper pin safety is simple. All you will need are one or two silicone earring backers and you’re in business. First, slide the kilt pin through the fabric where you’d normally like to wear it. Before you clasp the latch, slide one or both of the earring backers onto the pin. Be sure to leave a little room for the hoor or barrel clasp. Close the pin as you normally would, and you are set to go. In the event that your new pin comes unclasped during a jig, Cèilidh or caber toss, you’ve got an extra layer of security to hold your pin in place.
An Earring Backer
Insert the Kilt Pin
Add the Backer
Close the Pin Clasp
If the pin is something truly special and it’s attached to something that doesn’t require frequent washing — a hat or vest, for example — consider having it stitched down to make sure it stays put until removed. Alternately, have a safety chain added with a secondary pin to serve as a backup.
Out and about at a games and don’t have your pin secured? Swing by our tent for a complimentary pin protector.
If you have questions about a kilt pin in your collection, contact us at any time.
