PIN-MONEY. In law, a sum of money paid periodically by a husband to his wife, to lie ex pended for dress, ornament, and other personal expenses. Tlw origin of the term has never been traced satisfactorily. but writers of some authority assert that it was derived from an anvient tax levied in England for the purpose of supplying the Queen with pins. The practice of providing such an annual sum for the wife's separate use, by /nen n s of a marriage settlement, was at. one time quite common among the no bility in England. Out of this allowance the wife was supposed to maintain the dignity of her station in the matter of dress, ornament, private benefactions, etc. It was, therefore, in tended to he spent and not accumulated. Ac cordingly, if a husband pays the wife's personal expenses directly. it is a bar to a claim for ar rears of pin-money, and. in any event, while the wife continnes to cohabit with the husband she cannot collect the arrears for more than one year. However, if she lives separately, all rears may be collected. if the wife saves any
thing out of her pin-money while living apart from her husband it becomes her separate prop erty; but if they are living together, such ac cumulation goes to the husband's representatives on his death, unless he had consented to his wife's saving for her own benefit.
The custom of providing, pin-money is no longer common in England, and never gained favor in the United States. althongh there are some early decisions which apply the English law to such allowances. A weekly or monthly sum paid to Ihe wife for household expenses, etc., does not correspond to pin-money. Sums given to the wife by the husband voluntarily from time to time, when he does not indicate that they are to be used for a specific purpose, are usually considered as gifts, and become the separate property of the wife. See Downy ; l'S!:AND AND WIFE. Consult the authorities referred to tinder HUSBAND AND WIFE.