Skip to content
D Digilifetrends

Nostalgia

16 Items Commonly Carried in Women’s Purses 50 Years Ago

Digilifetrends Updated 2026-10-02 5 min read

A woman’s purse half a century ago was far more than a place for cash and keys. It functioned like a compact everyday kit, holding practical necessities, beauty items, handwritten reminders, and a few personal belongings that stayed close at hand.

Looking inside a purse from the 1970s, you would likely recognize many of the items, even if the overall setup feels charmingly old-fashioned. There were no smartphones, digital wallets, or cloud-stored contact lists. Instead, women carried the things they might genuinely need during the day, often arranged in small pockets and zippered sections.

A person holding a compact mirror above an open purse, which contains a comb, lipstick, and floral-patterned items. The person is wearing a floral blouse.

1. Coin Purse

A woman in a floral blouse holds a vintage floral coin purse above an open brown bag filled with a notebook, sunglasses, lipstick, a comb, and a striped scarf. A matching floral cup of coffee sits nearby.
Wealthgang

Loose change was important enough to have its own pouch. Coins came in handy for payphones, parking meters, vending machines, buses, and plenty of small purchases, so a separate coin purse kept quarters, dimes, and nickels from sinking to the bottom of a handbag.

2. Compact Mirror

A woman with painted nails holds a compact mirror, looking at her reflection. Her floral blouse and brown handbag, filled with a comb and phone, are visible on her lap in sunlight.
Wealthgang

Before front-facing cameras made it easy to check your look anywhere, there was the compact mirror. Many were small, attractive, and durable enough to last for years, making them ideal for checking lipstick, fixing hair, or freshening up before entering a restaurant or meeting someone.

3. Tube of Lipstick

A woman applies lipstick while looking in a compact mirror. Her brown handbag, floral scarf, and matching wallet are on the table. A yellow vintage car is visible through the window outside.
Wealthgang

Lipstick was one of those purse staples that seldom stayed home. A favorite shade could travel everywhere, ready for a quick touch-up after lunch or before an evening out. The metal or plastic tubes often felt solid, especially compared with today’s lighter cosmetic packaging.

4. Handkerchief

A woman in a retro setting dabs her cheek with a floral handkerchief. Her brown handbag is open, showing sunglasses, a wallet, a notebook, lipstick, and a comb. Vintage cars are visible through the window behind her.
Wealthgang

Long before disposable tissues became the norm, a neatly folded cloth handkerchief was a familiar item in a woman’s purse. Some were simple and practical, while others had embroidered edges, tiny flowers, lace, or initials and were almost too pretty to use.

5. Small Address Book

A woman writes in a small red address book, holding a pen above a page of contacts. Her open purse, featuring floral items, sits on her lap. A teacup and saucer rest on the table nearby.
Wealthgang

Phone numbers did not automatically follow you everywhere. A pocket-sized address book held the numbers and addresses of family members, friends, doctors, businesses, and anyone else worth remembering. Over time, the pages filled with crossed-out numbers, updated addresses, and handwritten notes.

6. Comb

A woman with wavy hair combs it at a café table. Her brown handbag, decorated with floral patterns, is open and filled with sunglasses, a notebook, a coin purse, and a lipstick. A teacup sits nearby.
Wealthgang

A small plastic or metal comb made it easy to keep a hairstyle neat through the day. Wind, humidity, hats, and convertible rides could all require a quick fix, and a purse comb was much easier to carry than a full-size brush.

7. Pack of Gum or Mints

A woman pulls a stick of Wrigley’s Spearmint gum from her purse at a vintage-style café. Her purse contains floral items, lipstick, and a coin purse. She wears a patterned blouse and a ring.
Wealthgang

A pack of chewing gum or a roll of breath mints was a classic purse item. They were especially useful after coffee, lunch, or a cigarette, and there was usually enough to offer one to a friend sitting nearby.

8. Paper Calendar

A woman in vintage clothing sits at a café, holding a 1975 planner. Her open purse reveals lipstick, sunglasses, and a hairbrush with a floral pouch. A teacup and saucer are on the table beside her.
Wealthgang

Appointments, birthdays, lunches, and reminders were kept on paper rather than on a screen. Small pocket calendars often became surprisingly detailed records of daily life, with handwritten notes squeezed into each day’s box and important dates circled in pen.

Sign up for our newsletter

Subscribe to Wealth Gang and get exclusive tips, top deals, and money-saving ideas sent directly to you.

9. Wallet Full of Photos

A woman in vintage attire sits at a cafe, showing old photos from her wallet. Her open purse reveals floral accessories, sunglasses, and lipstick. Taxis and buildings are visible through the window outside.
Wealthgang

Wallets often held more than cash and identification. Small school portraits, family snapshots, and pictures of children or grandchildren were tucked behind clear plastic sleeves, ready to be shown whenever someone asked about the family.

10. Bottle of Perfume

A woman in vintage attire holds a perfume bottle labeled “Sweet Honey” at a cafe table, with a brown bag and floral accessories visible. A coffee cup and vintage cars are in the background.
Wealthgang

Many women carried a miniature perfume bottle or small atomizer for a quick refresh during the day. These tiny containers could be surprisingly elegant, and opening a purse sometimes released a familiar mix of perfume, face powder, lipstick, and whatever else had been stored inside for years.

11. Bobby Pins

A woman with red nails sits at a café table, taking bobby pins from a floral tin. Her open purse reveals a matching coin purse, sunglasses, notepad, and makeup items. A cup of coffee and vintage cars are in the background.
Wealthgang

A few stray bobby pins always seemed to end up at the bottom of a purse. They were useful for fixing a loose curl, holding a hairstyle in place, or handling an unexpected hair emergency, and somehow there was usually one available when needed.

12. Powder Compact

A woman in a vintage cafe applies powder from a compact. Her open bag shows floral wallets, a comb, and lipstick, matching her retro floral outfit. A cup of coffee and classic cars appear in the background.
Wealthgang

Face powder was another beauty essential that traveled everywhere. Powder compacts typically came with a mirror and a soft puff, allowing women to quickly reduce shine and refresh makeup without carrying a full cosmetic bag.

13. Ballpoint Pen

A woman in a floral shirt writes in a notebook at a café table. Her open bag holds makeup, a wallet, and postcards. There’s a cup of coffee nearby, and vintage cars are visible through the window in the background.
Wealthgang

There were plenty of reasons to carry a pen. Checks needed signatures, forms had to be filled out, phone numbers had to be written down, and reminders could appear at any moment. A reliable ballpoint pen was one of those ordinary objects that could save the day.

14. Checkbook

A woman in a floral blouse writes a check at a kitchen table with a coffee mug, retro decor, and an open purse containing sunglasses, a gold compact, and floral fabric. Sunlight streams in from a nearby window.
Wealthgang

Before debit cards became part of everyday shopping, many women kept a checkbook in their purse. Paying for groceries, clothing, or household items could mean writing the amount by hand, signing the check, and carefully entering the transaction in the register.

15. Book of Matches

A woman lights a Riviera Hotel matchbook in a vintage cafe, her open purse showing floral accessories, sunglasses, lipstick, and a notepad. A coffee cup and street view with yellow cars are in the background.
Wealthgang

Even women who did not smoke might have carried matches picked up from a restaurant, hotel, bar, or local business. Matchbooks were handed out everywhere and often carried colorful logos and advertisements, turning a disposable item into a small souvenir.

16. Roll of Life Savers

A woman in a vintage diner holds a LIFE SAVERS candy near her lips, with a brown purse open showing patterned fabric, lipstick, and sunglasses. A cup of coffee sits on the table. The scene has a retro 1970s vibe.
Wealthgang

That familiar little paper-wrapped roll could sit in a purse pocket until someone wanted something sweet. Life Savers were inexpensive, easy to share, and small enough to carry anywhere, making them one of those simple treats that seemed to appear in purses, glove compartments, and desk drawers alike.

Revisit once-familiar everyday objects that earlier generations carried and used regularly, but that have mostly disappeared from modern routines.

Explore the personal items and practical essentials Americans once carried to work each morning, from objects that have become obsolete to habits that technology later replaced.

Take a nostalgic look at the beauty products, personal care essentials, and everyday items once commonly bought at neighborhood drugstores and tucked into purses across America.

More from Digilifetrends