Lot #8: Antique Art Nouveau Religious Sweetheart Brooch - Northern Publishing Office (Belfast)

Antique Art Nouveau Religious Sweetheart Brooch - Northern Publishing Office (Belfast) Scripture Tokens & Scissor Charm Kept-Token (c. 1910s–1920s) This is a fascinating and highly unique piece of regional religious history and Edwardian-era sentimental jewelry. The item is an antique custom-assembled "sweetheart" style fob brooch made of stamped brass. It features three distinct dangling charms suspended by delicate chains from a curved top bar attachment.Rather than standard commercial jewelry findings, the core of this assembly consists of two rare, authentic Sunday School reward tokens manufactured for The Northern Publishing Office (N.P.O.) in Belfast, Ireland. A tiny pair of miniature scissors completes the trilogy of charms, likely representing a personal domestic token, a family connection to tailoring/dressmaking, or a symbolic cutting-away of worldly sin.Technical SpecificationsType: Multi-charm Sentimental Brooch / Fob PinCirca Era: Edwardian to early Interwar period (c. 1910s – 1920s)Material: Die-stamped brass / copper-alloy with an antique golden patina. Historical Notes on the Producer: The N.P.O.The Northern Publishing Office (N.P.O.) Ltd. was an influential private printing and publishing house operating out of 42 & 44 Ann Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While they actively published religious literature, they became well-recognized for distributing these highly detailed brass, bronze, and aluminum "medalets" or token prizes.These pieces were widely handed out across the British Isles as rewards for attendance, memory recitation, and exemplary behavior in Sunday Schools (frequently connected to Presbyterian, Anglican, and Methodist congregations of Ulster). Historical archives note that while the N.P.O. designed and commissioned these pieces, the die-striking itself was often outsourced to specialized metalwork mints in Birmingham, England, or pre-WWI Germany.Collector's Notes of InterestThe "Trench Art" or Custom Assembly Appeal: What elevates this item is its bespoke nature. Rather than remaining isolated pocket coins, a contemporary jeweler or a loved one chained, and mounted these distinct tokens into a singular piece of wearable jewelry.Dual-Market Value: This piece cross-collects exceptionally well. It appeals aggressively to numismatists specializing in Irish/British trade tokens and regional Sunday School medals, as well as collectors of antique sentimental sweetheart jewelry.Exceptional Preservation: The text on both faces remains remarkably crisp, sharp, and highly legible with an unpolished, authentic historic patina that collectors prefer. Pickup category timeslot {A}