Please help me figure out what this is. It's a metal clip from a estate sale jewelry box.

[atitchen]

I recently bought a jewelry box at an estate sale. Lots of costume jewelry, some real gold, and a very nice box. (The box is a Lane cedar chests Altavista, Va. Presented by M.C.M. furniture Appl T.V. inc Leominster-Fitchburg, Mass.) The box alone is a nice find, BUT what caught my attention and made me buy it was a beautiful clip. There is a viking ship on one side and on the other side birds. It doesn't feel like a hair piece. It weighs 3.3 oz, and is 4 inches long. A magnent does not stick to it. It seems to have enamel I assume for the colors. It needs a very good cleaning, but I am afraid of messing it up.

Category: Other

Condition: Good

Medium: Unknown

Distinguishing marks: none found

Date Period: unknown

Size and dimensions of this item: 4 inches long 1 1/2 wide Weight: 3.3 oz

History: unknown

[55chevy]

Actually, it's a rather beautiful vintage paper clip.  Some people call them bill clips. There are collectors for them. 

[atitchen]

A paperclip? When do you suppose it was made, and is it worth anything? I'm not sure I want to sell it because it is so beautfiul. 

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@55chevy wrote:

Actually, it's a rather beautiful vintage paper clip.  Some people call them bill clips. There are collectors for them. 

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[sathya7]

Beautiful enamel work, could be silver or copper. Look toward Denmark, Sweden. Denmark had a long tradition of enamel work, and the motifs fit. Good instinct,  stick with it 🙂

[atitchen]

Thank you very much! I'm a new seller, so I'm trying. I also found out a pair of earrings that I thought were fake are actually Italian and say 750, instead of 18kt! The jeweler that helped me (which she had never seen anything like that) but they weigh 11.4 grams! She said they would be worth $321.00!! Plus a lot of the costume jewelry is vintage Trifari! I would say not bad for spending $5 for this box of costume jewelry! 🙂