BY TONY SENK
Correspondent
TONY SENK Lillian Rand, hatpin collector, admires unique antique hatpins from her shop at Riverbank Antiques in Red Bank. You’ve all seen the old movies where the angry little old lady sneers and pokes someone with her very large – and very sharp – hatpin.
You’d never see Lillian Rand do something like that – though she certainly has the ammunition. She’s much too nice a person to do such a thing, and she thinks more of the valuable and unique hatpins in her collection than to use them in such a folly-some way.
Lillian, now a spry 77, has traveled as far away as England to buy unusual antique hatpins. She brings them back to her shop at Riverbank Antiques, 169 West Front St. in Red Bank. Over the years, she has developed quite a following among hatpin collectors. They all know Lillian as the “Hatpin Lady at Riverbank Antiques” and they also know that what Lillian doesn’t know about antique hatpins just isn’t worth knowing.
Her interest in this somewhat unusual collectible came when, many years ago, she met the lady who wrote the book on hatpins. Literally.
In the 1970s, a woman named Lillian Baker, who lived in Long Branch, was a leading authority on hatpins. In 1977 she even wrote the definitive book on the topic, titled “A Collector’s Encyclopedia of Hat Pins and Hat Pin Holders.”
The paths of the two Lillians crossed when the Bakers were seeking legal help from Lillian’s husband, Jack, who was an attorney.
“I met Lillian Baker in 1977, and she gave me a copy of her book,” said Lillian Rand. “I was absolutely fascinated by it. One thing led to another, and I started collecting hatpins.”
That was more than 30 years ago, and since then, Lillian has been – pardon the pun – stuck on hatpin collecting.
Lillian has hundreds of hatpins on display and for sale at Riverbank Antiques. Some date as far back as the 1890s and some come from the collection of Charles Horner, who designed and made hallmark hatpins in England from 1907 to 1925. Other hatpins in Lillian’s collection come from the Czech Republic or Scotland, and many are made in the United States.
“These days,” said Lillian, who lives in Monroe Township, “people often cut hatpins down and use them as pins for their lapel. But toward the end of the 1880s, hats began to replace bonnets as the usual headgear for ladies, and the hatpin industry expanded quickly, producing hatpins of many materials, styles and qualities. Hatpins were essential, not only for everyday wear, but also for sports and motoring headgear. Hatpins were in use throughout the 19th century, but until virtually the end of the century, hat ties took precedence over the hatpins as a means of holding the hat in place.
It was not until the early years of the 20th century that the hatpin really came into its own, both as a means to secure the hat and as a vital fashion necessity. The years of glory for the hatpin were relatively short, from about 1905 to 1914.
Even the holders that are used to display six to eight hatpins at a time have become popular collectors items. Many are colorfully and creatively decorated. They, too, are made both abroad and in the United States.
Some hatpins in Lillian’s collection are hand-designed with vintage beads, and some are in black or pearl. Many are in assorted colors and can include beads in shades of red, green, yellow, blue, amber, purple or turquoise. They can range in price from $30 to $250, but they all have one thing in common: their pins are very sharp, and they can provide quite a poke for the unwelcome intruder.
“The last time I tried to get on a plane to come back home from England,” said Lillian, “the airline made me put the hatpins I’d bought in the checked luggage. They said that recently a passenger had used a hatpin to stick the person in the seat in front of them when they refused to bring their seat back upright to give them more leg room. It all caused a bit of a stir on the plane, so the airline outlawed hatpins. I know that hatpins were outlawed in San Francisco in the early 1900s, and in England, for a long time, there were bylaws banning the wearing of hatpins that had protruding or unprotected points.”
Lillian said that still today, and a little closer to home, a carefully concealed hatpin can come in mighty handy for protection.
“I’ve talked with some nurses in the area who work odd hours,” she said. “They told me that they’ve always carried a hatpin in their bag – just in case.”
In addition to her hearty helping of hatpins, Lillian has minipicture frames, dresser jars and Victorian sewing items and accessories at her shop at Riverbank Antiques, but she admits that the antique hatpins are her favorite item.
“I love the hatpins,” she said. “I’ve had people tell me that they heard about my hatpin collection and drove over an hour to come here to find just the right hatpin.”
Though Riverbank Antiques is best known for bigger items such as antique furniture and china, Lillian Rand and her hatpin collectibles are proof that good things can – and do – come in small packages.
There are about 20 antiques dealers at Riverbank Antiques, located at 169 West Front St. The shops are open every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and their phone number is (732) 842-5400.

