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 Replies: 11 / Views: 6,434 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4883 Posts |
I have to presume this predates the Second World War. There's also something of a Masonic flavor to it.   Colligo ergo sum
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7008 Posts |
Cool token...what's the size ?
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4883 Posts |
24.5 mm in diameter.
Colligo ergo sum
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3079 Posts |
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Moderator
 United States
187881 Posts |
Very nice!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4883 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3079 Posts |
Just because it is similar, doesn't mean it has to be Masonic I have never any reference to the piece as anything other than a good luck piece. I also have never seen a Masonic piece with any wording talking about guarding against evil around it. I)f it was a Masonic piece the site I linked to would have mentioned it.
Edited by Circus
07/10/2019 7:22 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4883 Posts |
Quote:
There's also something of a Masonic flavor to it. That original statement of mine was not an assertion that it was Masonic in origin, only an observation that there was some seeming Masonic symbolism and design elements incorporated into its motif. Perhaps the best way to characterize it would be to say it's pseudo-Masonic. Maybe the engraver was a Freemason who slipped a little something in, or the manufacturer had previously made Masonic pocket pieces and appropriated some visual cues from those. Colligo ergo sum
Edited by Lucky Cuss
07/11/2019 09:25 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4415 Posts |
I believe that these pieces date to the 1930's and were possibly distributed at fairs. I concur that there's no direct connection to the masons. Many of these "swastika" tokens bore a variety of good luck symbols, what with the all-seeing eye being one of them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
525 Posts |
The Swami Token strikes again!  Swami and All-Seeing Eye Good Luck Coin Bronze, 32mm, 11.85gm Obverse: "Swami" or Fortune Teller wearing turban gazing into crystal ball with floating swastika. GOOD LUCK WILL ACCOMPANY THE BEARER Reverse: Good luck symbols, Swastika, Heart-Key-Lock, Four-Leaf Clover, Elephant, Horseshoe, Rabbit's Foot, Wishbone All-Seeing Eye below THE ALL SEEING EYE / GUARDS YOU FROM EVIL The "Swami" depicted on the coin was not a Muslim, Hindu, or Asian. He was a carnival worker who wore a turban, gazed into a crystal ball, told fortunes, and gave advice. One carnival term for such a worker was "raghead". Some of the "swamis" made it into the movies, including this fellow:  Professor Marvel from "The Wizard of Oz"  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4883 Posts |
Quote:
The Swami Token strikes again! That's a much nicer example than mine. Colligo ergo sum
Edited by Lucky Cuss
07/11/2019 09:29 am
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Moderator
Australia
16810 Posts |
The "All-seeing Eye" or "Eye of Providence" was originally a Christian symbol, dating from the Renaissance - especially when placed within a triangle (representing the Trinity). It was especially popular in Protestant areas, where other more traditional symbols of Christianity (such as the crucifix) were considered "too Catholic", though the Eye also became fashionable in Catholic and Orthodox artwork too. The non-specificity of the symbol had appeal to the early Freemasons, who require a belief in a supreme being (the Great Architect) but who is not necessarily the Christian God. Spiritualists and occultists also adopted the symbol, for the same reason, though here there is some crossover with the Egyptian Eye of Horus (Egyptology being all the rage back in the ealy 20th century).
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Replies: 11 / Views: 6,434 |
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Posted 07/10/2019 11:36 am
