Why thimbles?

Brief history of thimbles.
The earliest known thimble to be documented was found in Italy at Pompeii and has been dated to the 1st century AD. Originally thimbles were used to protect the thumb as needles were being pushed through fabric or leather while sewing. Over time, however, other uses and mythologies have arisen. One such myth is that the thimble could be used to measure the size of a spirit. Hence the phrase ' A thimbleful'.
I have always had a small fasination with thimbles and have been collecting them since I was a little girl. It mostly began because thimbles were small, cheap, and easy to find. As I got older I started to notice how unique these little collectibles could be (sometimes one is more unique than others). I started focusing on the material they were made of and the variation on shape and decoration. I never thought I would continue the collection to adulthood, but on about every trip I find myself searching for unique thimbles that I can purchase to not only document my trips, but also add to the whimsy of my collection. The funny thing is that I don't display these thimbles and I don't have some thought in my mind that they will be worth anything. They actually sit in a box in my closet. I am not even sure how many I have, in fact I have not looked at the entire collection in years.
So a few months ago I started thinking it might be fun to go through my thimbles and document them. Along with being able to show my thimble collection, I can also try to jog my memory, answering questions such as: where did I get it from?, what year?, and any other relevant information. This is sort of my experiment in time and also a celebration of a popular souvenir and collectible.