Vintage Travel Shield Charms - Collecting, Arranging, and Displaying

Silver and enamel souvenir travel shield charms became popular in the 1940s after World War II when recreational travel became relatively common in Europe and America. Charm bracelets were very popular at the time and women added souvenir travel shield charms to their bracelets commemorating places they visited. Most travel shield charms have enameled pictures of buildings or landmarks, animals, flowers, or birds, along with the name of the travel destination on the front. Generally they are brightly colored and resemble miniature scenic postcards of the area they represent. Travel shields are typically made from European silver with a grade of 800 to 835, or 925 sterling silver, and most of the time the sterling charms are from non-European destinations. There are also very distinctive British charms that have a baked enamel finish on the front and a filigree scroll design around the edge.

I've been amazed at the variety of different travel shield charm collections I've seen. There are the expected "Places I've Visited" varieties. And I own a couple of different types of British Zodiac sets with the baked enamel finish. Although they aren't travel related, I consider the Zodiacs an example of shield charms. But I've also run across some very creative ways to group and collect shield charms and as a result think that the number of different types of collections is really limited only to one's imagination.

For example some people arrange shields of a particular color on their bracelets, or categories of images such as all flowers, or all animal heads. There are also collections from different parts of a specific country, or a collection of cities in an area, various national parks, different zoos, and bust / head images of famous people. I've seen a collection with just singular large images that take up most of the space on the face of the shield instead of having smaller details that are difficult to see. And a friend of mine collects just British baked enamel shields.

The best thing about shield charms is there is an abundance of them, both old and new, available in souvenir shops around the world, in antique shops, and on the internet. As a result they are quite inexpensive and it's a great way to get introduced to the world of charm collecting without spending a lot of money. I recommend taking a look at some of the sites I've mentioned, and picking up several examples that appeal to you. At that point you can decide where you want to proceed with your collection. Your tastes may change several times in the process of experimenting with different arrangements. Above all remember to have fun with your charm collection.