Purse hook
Encyclopedia
A purse hook
A purse hook (also known as a handbag hook or handbag hanger is a type of hook meant to temporarily secure a purse
Coin purse
A coin purse is a small money bag or pouch, similar to a wallet, but typically used by women and include a compartment for coins. In some countries, it is known simply as a purse...

 or handbag
Handbag
A handbag, or purse in American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag that is often fashionably designed, typically used by women, to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, cosmetics, a hairbrush, pepper spray, cigarettes, mobile phone etc....

 to a table, sink or armrest. Such hooks have been available since the 1920s. Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

 is said to employ an S-shaped one to hang her handbags on.

Types

There are four types of purse hooks available. The order is based on patent file dates.
  1. The original L style type with a circular pad and a rigid bent wire.
  2. The link type with circular pad and a set links that either wrap around the pad or make a "hook"
  3. A spring closing bracelet type
  4. A twisting ring type

Reasons for use

The practical uses are numerous; hanging a purse, bag, groceries, umbrella or any item that can be hung and needs to be kept close.

In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 there is a superstition that a woman will lose all of her money if she puts her purse on the floor. A bag placed on the floor in a restaurant or bathroom will collect bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

, fungi, and virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...

es.
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