This is a wonderful, highly collectible piece of vintage fraternal history. Item Information & History

• Fraternal Affiliation: Masonic Knights Templar (Chevalier Bayard Commandery No. 52, K.T. of Chicago, Illinois). Chevalier Bayard was a prominent Chicago commandery named after the legendary French knight Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, known as "the knight without fear and without reproach" (sans peur et sans reproche), which is inscribed on the shield banner.

• Commemorative Event & Date: The reverse is stamped "LOUISVILLE / AUG., 1901", marking the delegation's attendance at the 28th Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar, which took place in Louisville, Kentucky, in August 1901.

• Design & Symbolism:

  • Top Bar: Reads "CHEVALIER BAYARD" and "No. 52 K.T. CHICAGO".

  • Pendant: A detailed banner/shield featuring a horse atop a heraldic wreath, an enameled shield with a red lion and a blue field with white diagonal striping, and a ribbon scroll at the bottom displaying the Latin motto "Sans Peur et Sans Reproche" (Without fear and without reproach).

• Materials & Construction: Unsure looks and feels like aluminun base metal with multicolored enamel accents on the heraldic shield.

  Up for auction is a scarce and intricately detailed antique Masonic Knights Templar badge issued for Chevalier Bayard Commandery No. 52 of Chicago, Illinois.

  This badge was worn by members attending the 28th Triennial Conclave held in Louisville, Kentucky, in August 1901.

  • Design: The top bar is marked "CHEVALIER BAYARD" and "No. 52 K.T. CHICAGO." It suspends a detailed shield/banner featuring heraldic elements, a horse crest, red and blue enamel work, and the commandery's motto "Sans Peur et Sans Reproche". The reverse is clearly stamped with the event location and date: "LOUISVILLE, AUG., 1901".

    A fantastic addition to any advanced collection of Knights Templar badges, Masonic memorabilia, or early 20th-century fraternal history!