Vintage Anchor embroidery floss

by Linda Kj.
(Calgary Alberta Canada)

I'm looking for a conversion chart that will convert the old Anchor floss numbers (pre-1960) to the current sytem.

I have been unable to find any info on this so the next step is to aquire old skiens of the floss. I am looking for Anchor floss with color numbers that DO NOT begin with 0 and don't have a barcode. I am willing to pay for the floss and for shipping.

Can anybody help me?

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Old Anchor threads
by: Gale

I can't see any dates so I don't know if people are still looking. (It's 2nd July 2024 today.)
I successfully downloaded the link BB gave (thank you so much BB).

Linda kj, I have the old 449 and its equivalent is 111. They aren't an exact match, near enough to use either or both if they are not too near on your work, but not if you use them next to each other.

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Conversion chart
by: Peggy Aungst

I have a vintage color chart that has the old and new numbers. I would be happy to share it with you.
I am not sure how old it is but at least several decades.

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Old Anchor series floss 400-500
by: Lori Ritchie

I have a large number of Anchor threads in the 400-500 series, does anyone know what the conversion are for the new numbers?

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Old colour needed
by: Anonymous

I have several skeins. Started a project but now can't complete because the number no longer exists. I am looking for Anchor fast colour 449 Clark & co ltd/ Can anyone help please. If there are any old numbers you want please let me know and I will search through my box

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Anchor old to new chart
by: BB

I found https://atelierchellie.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/anchor-stranded-cotton-numbers-old-to-new.pdf, which looks like it gives a good mapping between the older and newer Anchor thread numbers - hope this is useful!

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Vintage Clarks Anchor threads
by: Alison

I have a box of threads (probably about 200 or so)a few of the colours so match to the modern anchor threads but an awful lot don't. How have you got on with a conversion chart or is it still a work in progress

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Vintage Anchor threads.
by: Gill Finner

I recently purchased a job lot of anchor threads from e bay and they are really old. There are loads of numbers in the 400's and 500's which now don't exist. I am slowly trying to match them to the new anchor colours, but it is painstaking work. Is this what you are looking for?

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Vintage threads
by: Linda Kj.

Linda M. Thanks for your feedback. I've tried both Ebay and Etsy. The numbers are not displayed so it's hard to tell how old the threads are and some people think that because it comes out of Grandma'a stash it has to be old when in fact there are barcodes on the labels!

I've contacted Coats and Clark in 3 countries and they've all sent me Anchor to DMC conversions. I can now convert DMC to any kind of thread you can imagine including several I never heard of before and I've been doing needlework for a very long time.

My next step is to find old skiens and conpare them to my color chart and develop a conversion chart on my own.
Thanks again. Every little bit helps.

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A few suggestions
by: Linda M

You might find some of the older threads on Ebay or Etsy but you may run the risk of the threads having decayed with age.

If this is a one-off pattern that you wish to stitch, I would suggest substituting with your own colour choice. You may have a number of threads left over from previously stitched projects or a supply of the latest thread colours on hand. You could then try out various colours against each other (before you sew) to see how they work when they lie next to each other in the pattern.

Where there are 2-3 shades of any particular colour, it helps to pick shades that are a couple of numbers apart rather than consecutively numbered. That way you can actually see some difference between the shades. It is time consuming but I think you could be an even longer time trying to find threads with the old numbering system.

The only other option I can think of is to try contacting Anchor direct to see if they have any information in their archives.

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