Metal Coin Fortune Bag Tassel Charm

The fortune bag swells at the belly, a coin pressed into its face, the mouth drawn shut with a cord, and a tassel hanging below on that cord. The curve of the bag swells evenly and draws in sharply at the ends, so it looks as though something is really inside. The coin sits at the centre of the belly, its rim clear, the characters cut shallow — you can feel the outline but not read the words. The cord at the mouth is tied into a knot, and the tassel hangs below that, with a small metal ring between so the cord cannot slip. The rim of the coin stands a little above the bag's surface, and a fingertip drawn across it catches.

The fortune bag comes from the cloth bag. A cloth bag holds things, and once the mouth is drawn shut nothing falls out. Folk reading made a good deal of that action — put in, draw shut, let nothing leak — which is why a bag turns up in subjects about gathering wealth. On the charms sold in shops, the swollen face is the one for showing and the flat one goes against the wall, and the work there is simpler too. The bag is swollen because the two faces are curved, thin from the side and round from the front. The form is found everywhere with small differences; what varies is the treatment of the mouth.

The coin pressed into the bag face is the plain statement that there is money in the bag, with no need to go round it. The tassel below moves at the least motion, and the life of the ornament is all in that length. A short tassel looks brisk; a long one trails and tangles easily. A small ring separates tassel from bag, so the tassel can be changed without taking the bag apart. The coin sits high and the tassel low, with the weight in the middle, so it hangs true. The strands of the tassel are dense and hang as one bundle rather than spreading.

Metal body, with the cord pattern at the mouth cut in rings of even depth. The colour is deep in the grooves and bright on the swell, and one layer reads clearly over the next. A piece like this does not suffer from being put away; it keeps, and only collects dust. Dust in the grooves makes the colour look deeper, so do not press hard when wiping — press and the deep layer comes off on the cloth. The cord pattern at the mouth is the darkest, ring on ring, and from a distance it looks like a real cord tied round. Wipe by pressing with a dry cloth, not in circles, which push the dust to the bottom of the grooves.

When hanging it, check the distance from the tassel to the surface below; too close and it rubs. Metal dislikes damp: hung through wet weather, it spots green, which is moisture sitting on it. Wipe that off with a dry cloth and do not hang it straight back; let it air. Keep water off the tassel thread, which shrinks and leaves it a length short with the ends uneven. On a door handle it gets knocked as the door moves, and after long knocking a bright patch appears on the bag face. Store it flat rather than folded; a fold leaves a white line across the face.