Vintage gold-tone teapot brooch featuring an embossed floral design on the front. The hidden functionality of the piece. The white plastic mechanism built into the back indicates that it is a vintage musical or sound-effects novelty brooch.

These specific brooches typically include a small button or compression mechanism built inside the "U-shaped" slot. When pressed, it triggers a battery-operated electronic chime or melody (often playing a tune like "I'm a Little Teapot"). These novelties were popular collectible designs produced by costume jewelry brands like AJC (American Jewelry Chain) and Danecraft during the late 20th century.

The maker of this novelty item is the American Jewelry Chain Co. (AJC), which produced a highly recognizable series of matte gold-tone figural costume brooches throughout the 1980s. 

Estimated Value

• $10 to $15 if the internal musical/sound chip is broken or has dead batteries. (Most of these vintage battery cells have died over the decades, and because the white plastic unit is permanently sealed into the casting, the batteries cannot be easily replaced without breaking the housing).