Flea Market Item 26-298

This is a particularly interesting and unusual Au Ver à Soie surgical silk thread card, dating from approximately 1935–1955. 

Although it bears the famous Au Ver à Soie name, it was produced for the medical profession rather than the embroidery or dressmaking trade.

The label reads:

• Au Ver à Soie – Paris

• Soie (silk), with “Nylon” stamped above it, indicating the original wording had been updated.

• Pour Chirurgie – For Surgery.

• N° Y – the thread size or gauge.

• Crins de Florence – literally Florentine hairs.

The thread is wound onto a flat holder, a practical format that allowed individual strands to be dispensed cleanly without tangling.

The combination of the familiar Au Ver à Soie branding and its specialist surgical purpose makes it an especially unusual survivor and highly collectible.