This cylindrical purse is knitted in brightly coloured rayon and has two sliding metal rings, with a tassel at each end. It was knitted as a flat piece, almost certainly by machine (hand frame), and then sewn up from either end, leaving an opening in the plain central part. The ends, including the tassels, are bright red, followed by narrow stripes of black, white, red, mustard, turquoise and green. The central part is mustard.

A miser’s purse could be carried looped over a belt, with coins in each end, held secure by the sliding rings having been inserted through the central opening. There are a number of miser’s purses in the Knitting & Crochet Guild Collection, mostly Victorian. One is made of knotted net, there is at least one other frame-knitted purse and the Collection also includes hand-knitted and crocheted examples. This is the only multi-coloured one. It has a definite ‘Jazz Age’ feel and probably dates from the early 20th century – a ‘modern’ version of an old idea. There is no record of how it came to the Collection but as it has some slight damage, this suggests that it has been used.