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PRESENTING A VERY RARE & FABULOUS HISTORIC ANTIQUE 1889 MYSTIC ODD FELLOWS JEWEL!

RARE ORNATE "BANNER" DESIGN!

THIS ODD FELLOWS JEWEL IS SIMILAR IN DESIGN TO CERTAIN MASONIC KNIGHTS TEMPLAR JEWELS! THE INFLUENCE CANNOT BE DENIED!

CONNECTICUT! SEMI-SENTENNIAL!

"50 YEARS NEW HAVEN!...1839-1889"!

THREE LINKS OF ODD FELLOWSHIP!

MYSTICAL HOLY ALL SEEING EYE!

NOT A COMMONLY SEEN ODD FELLOWS JEWEL!

UNMARKED, BUT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT POSSIBLY BE SILVER!

MEASURES APPROXIMATELY 3 INCHES TOTAL!

INFLUENCED BY THE ANCIENT TRADITIONS AND ARTS OF FREEMASONRY, THIS IS A VERY FINE PIECE FROM THE "INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS", ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE ORGANIZATIONS IN THE WORLD!

RARE & VERY COLLECTIBLE!

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This is a very interesting and quite unusual antique 19th century Odd Fellows Jewel. More then many other Odd Fellows examples, the similarity here to Masonic jewelry of the Order of Knights Templars is astonishing. As many historically astute individuals well know, in those olden days, a great percentage of Freemasons also had memberships in the Odd Fellows Order. There are many reasons for the duality of membership, but this ad is not the place to dwell on the intricacies of fraternal histories. The Jewel is in very good vintage condition with only some normal expected surface age wear (common light scratches). No serious problems. The Jewel appears to be silver in color but it is not marked. We are not jewelers and cannot say if this has any actual silver or if it is a silver colored metal of some kind. In the old catalogs, such jewels were described as being silver or silver plate, but we do not know. By the way, if it were marked, our start price would be much higher then what we are listing this piece for. This is an interesting symbolic Jewel from a significant organization of people who dreamed of changing the world for the better. Of creating and building a society where no human being would suffer neglect and apathy. Visit the sick. Help the destitute. Bury the dead. Those are among the many ancient Biblical principles embodied by this great group. There is much artistry to be admired here. Do not allow this beauty to escape you. Wear it and display it proudly. The Jewel measures approximately 3 inches. As impressive as anything made by "The Ames Sword Company', “M. C. Lilley & Co”, ” the “Pettibone Bros”. and William Horstmann of Philadelphia”. We regularly feature extremely attractive and also very rare, top quality antiques including among the finest in Fraternal and Masonic Swords and Historic Relics as well as many other fascinating items. Among our clients are Museums and Archives as well as many collectors the world over. Please keep checking our Classicliterati auctions. We try to describe items to the best of our ability. If you have any questions, please ask before bidding. FREE SHIPPING IN USA. Payment is expected within 5 days of auction close. FOREIGN SALES: Shipping this item to another country requires that it will only be sent with full INSURANCE and TRACKING which is EXPENSIVE. International bidders should first ask about exact shipping costs. Payment in $USA funds only. Thank You.

FREEMASONRY, ODD FELLOWSHIP & MASONS

Known as the "Three Link Fraternity", the various Orders of” Odd Fellows” around the world, while often being mislabeled as belonging to the Masonic fraternity (which they were not), were nonetheless heavily connected to Freemasonry in more then just a small handful of ways. Inspired by Freemasonry, the Odd Fellows as a movement came to America from England (splitting from the “Manchester Unity Order of Odd Fellows”) and by the 1880's they had become one of the largest (and due to their phenomenal insurance benefits, they at one time were THE largest) of all so-called "Secret" or Fraternal Societies in the United States (even outnumbering the Masons). While borrowing many Masonic symbols and regalia, such as the use of Aprons, images of Skulls, Beehives, the All-Seeing-Eye, Globes among hundreds of other Masonic elements and also following along the esoteric and spiritual lines of the Masonic Brotherhood, the Odd Fellows performed a wide variety of colorful and esoteric oriented rituals and initiations. Unjustly condemned by misguided segments within Catholicism and some other churches as being an Occult organization, with Pagan and even Satanic ideals, the misunderstood Odd Fellows, nonetheless thrived greatly during that early period. Standing for the universal human principles of "Friendship, Love and Truth", the group formed a significant nucleus of esoteric America and other parts of the world such as England, the Netherlands, Australia, etc. It should be mentioned that the Odd Fellows, like the Masons existed all over the world. While today no longer a prominent presence, curiously, there are still branches in Europe, Australia, etc. One often recognizes this Order by the three letters, "FLT" which stand for "FRIENDSHIP, LOVE & TRUTH" and which appears on much of their regalia. Their mottos included the following: VISIT THE SICK, RELIEVE THE DISTRESSED, BURY THE DEAD and EDUCATE THE ORPHANS. Much forgotten is the fact that (perhaps because of the insurance benefits), over two thirds (if not more) of all Odd Fellows consisted of members who also belonged to Masonry. Although today quite a small organization, we ourselves are aware of individual Odd Fellow members who are also active in their Masonic Lodges. The military-like “Patriarchs Militant”, once a spectacular feature as units in massive parades, with their extravagant costumes and brandishing their highly ornate swords, betray the obvious influence of the Masonic Order of Knights Templar.

Dual membership in Odd Fellowship and Freemasonry was once very common. For reference puposes, below are two historic photographs: The first shows a jointly owned old building which served both as Odd Fellows Hall and Masonic Temple:

This 19th Century Tombstone shows how very passionate this individual was about his membership in both the Masonic and Odd Fellow orders.

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SYMBOLIC ANTIQUE ODD FELLOWS JEWEL!

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