The p146 Fan Earring: A Vintage Hair Clip Worth Hunting For
Turn over a vintage hair clip stamped 'p146' and you're holding a piece of British costume jewellery history. Despite the name 'Store p146 Fan Earrings', these aren't earrings at all. They're small, hinged hair clips that open like a lady's folding fan, each half set with graduated faux pearls or diamanté. The design echoes the 1920s flapper aesthetic, when women pinned miniature fans into their bobs to catch the light as they danced the Charleston. Here's what you're actually holding when you find a p146, how to spot a genuine one, and how to wear it today without looking like you're headed to a costume party.
What the Code 'p146' Actually Tells You
The 'p' prefix stands for 'patent' or 'product line', depending on which factory archive you check. British costume-jewellery manufacturers supplying stores like Selfridges or Harrods in the 1950s and 1960s used a sequential numbering system. The p146 falls in a batch of clips produced between roughly 1958 and 1965, a period when fan motifs had a revival thanks to Hollywood films set in the 1920s (think Some Like It Hot, released in 1959). The 'fan earrings' label is a marketing holdover: the original blister pack probably showed a model wearing them as ear clips, but the spring mechanism is identical to that of a barrette. You can wear them either way, but most surviving examples have a hair-grip clip on the back, not a post for pierced ears.
Materials and Construction
Genuine p146 fan earrings are made from a base metal – usually brass or nickel silver – plated with either gold or rhodium. The plating is thin but durable; if you see flaking or a greenish patina, the piece is either a later reproduction or has been stored in a damp bathroom for decades. The stones are glass paste (diamanté) or faux pearls with a ceramic coating. Real fans have a central hinge that lets the two halves open to about 120 degrees. When closed, the clip looks like a folded fan and measures roughly 3 cm by 1.5 cm – small enough to nestle behind the ear or pin into a side-swept section of hair.
How to Verify a p146 Fan Earring
Counterfeits exist, but they're easy to spot if you know what to look for. On an authentic piece:
- The hinge pin is visible and slightly domed, not a flat rivet.
- The 'p146' stamp is hand-punched, not laser-engraved. Look for slight unevenness in the depth of the digits.
- The clip mechanism has a distinct 'click' when opened fully – a feature British manufacturers added to prevent the fan from collapsing while worn.
- Faux pearls show a tiny seam line where the two halves of the mould met; real pearls would be out of budget for a mass-produced hair accessory of this era.
If you find a p146 with a maker's mark like 'S&Co' or 'Birmingham' alongside the code, you have a piece from the same West Midlands workshops that supplied the royal family's dressers. Those command a premium in vintage markets.
The Cultural Moment: Why a Fan?
Folding fans have been hair ornaments since the 18th century, but their 20th-century revival is tied to the flapper's love of movement. A fan-shaped clip catches the light from every angle; it also flatters the short, sleek bobs of the 1920s and the geometric chignons of the 1960s. The p146 design is deliberately non-representational – it suggests a fan without trying to be a literal paper or lace fan. This abstraction is what makes it wearable today. You are not wearing a theatrical prop; you are wearing a geometric pattern that happens to have a historical reference.
Pairing the p146 with a Modern Wardrobe
The most common mistake vintage enthusiasts make is to treat the fan earring as a statement piece that demands a full period outfit. In reality, its small scale and neutral colouring (gold or silver with white stones) means it works beautifully with a simple white T-shirt and a tailored blazer. Clip it into a low ponytail or use it to pin back one side of a centre-part. Because the clip is symmetrical, you can also wear it as a brooch on a lapel – but if you do, be aware that the spring mechanism is not designed for heavy fabric, so choose a lightweight silk or cotton.
For a more deliberate vintage look, pair the p146 with a Sukie Yuki clip in pink – the contrast between the fan's linear geometry and Sukie Yuki's organic floral shapes creates a balanced, eclectic style that feels collected rather than costumed. Alternatively, if you are building a spring capsule, the fan earring's pearl tones harmonise beautifully with the pastel palette described in our guide to spring hair clips and British blooms through the decades.
Care and Storage
Because the p146 is plated, it will tarnish if exposed to hairspray, perfume, or sweat. Always put the clip in your hair after you have finished styling and spraying. At the end of the day, wipe the metal with a soft, dry cloth – never use jewellery cleaning dips, as they can strip the plating. Store the clip closed (folded) in a fabric-lined box or a small zip-lock bag with the air squeezed out. If the hinge becomes stiff, a single drop of sewing-machine oil on the pin will restore smooth movement. Do not use WD-40; it leaves a residue that attracts dust.
Where to Look for p146 Fan Earrings
British charity shops, car-boot sales, and online marketplaces are the usual hunting grounds. Because the p146 was mass-produced, it is not rare, but finding one in excellent condition (with no missing stones and bright plating) requires patience. Look for listings that mention 'vintage fan hair clip' or 'gold fan barrette' – many sellers do not know the code. If you see a lot of several clips and one is a p146, buy the lot; the others can be resold or given as gifts. The average price for a single p146 in good condition is £8–£15 in the UK. A set of two (which were sometimes sold as 'earrings and clip' pairs) can reach £25.
A Final Detail: The Hidden Signature
Turn the clip over and look at the back of the hinge. On some p146 examples, you will find a tiny engraved line – not a maker's mark, but a quality-control indicator left by the factory inspector. It looks like a single short dash. This mark is present on fewer than one in ten surviving clips, and collectors consider it a sign of early production (pre-1960). If you find one, you hold a piece made when British costume jewellery still operated under the strict inspection standards of the post-war board of trade. That dash is a whisper from the woman who checked your clip before it was wrapped in tissue paper and sent to a shop counter sixty years ago.