Name/Title
Beaded zip coin purse — geometric zigzag/diamond patternEntry/Object ID
2025.6.38Description
Small flat rectangular coin purse densely surfaced in rounded plastic beads over fabric, with a top zipper (brown tape, metal pull). The beadwork forms an allover geometric design: horizontal zigzag/chevron bands and a central row of diamonds enclosing rosette centers, worked in cream/pale-yellow, orange, coral-red, black, and green beads on an orange ground. Back not shown. Beadwork largely intact with minor loss/soiling; zipper functional.Use
Belonged to Mirta Martínez FortezaContext
A mid-20th-century novelty beaded coin/cosmetic purse of molded-plastic seed beads sewn over cloth — a type widely produced and exported from Eastern Europe (and Japan) in the 1950s–60s, comparable examples dated to the 1960s.Collection
The Martínez Suquet family collection, Mirta Martínez Forteza collectionAcquisition
Accession
2025.6Source or Donor
Mirta SuquetAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Notes
Date: circa 1960s; tentative (consistent with the type; within the collection period as an import).
Place: Poland (tentative)Dimensions
Height
8 cmWidth
14 cmDepth
0.8 cmParts
Beaded body (front/back panels over fabric) with top zipper with pull.Materials
Material
Beads, FabricMaterial Notes
Molded plastic beads on woven fabric backing; plastic zipper. Bead material plastic (mid-century type).Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Mirta Martínez FortezaNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
City
Pinar del RíoState/Province
Pinar del RíoCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
use, acquisitionResearch Notes
Notes
Type confirmed (mid-century plastic-bead zip coin purse; 1960s comparables on Etsy/1stDibs). Poland origin not corroborated.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
March 31, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 18, 2026