wm5806

The Library and Museum of Freemasonry in London have just (I think) updated their website with a page about this forthcoming exhibition. The page features the jewel of the Founding Master of the Earl Roberts Lodge and is just wonderful! WM5806

Kgard and Mike, Not sure how usual or unusual that is in US Masonry, but it is quite the norm in most Australian PM jewels I have seen. In England - where it would be unusual to personalise a jewel with monogrammed initials - many Lodges 'recycle' their PM jewels, representing those jewels that have been voluntarily returned by former PMs or their widows. This is often due to (both or either) the current high prices of jewels and their workmanship not being a patch on those made before 1940. All too frequently the original engraving is erased, leaving no trace of the former recipient. I have made it somewhat of a personal crusade when repatriating PM jewels to ask the Lodge to leave the original engraving and just put a plaque on the reverse of the ribbon to engrave the names of subsequent recipients. I am sure the fine words and sentiments expressed in the original presentation engraving apply equally to all those who receive the jewel, so all that is necessary is a name and year. WM5806

Mike, Thank you for sharing these treasures with us (possibly another reason why they should be called 'jewels'). The items I really love in my collection are those of which I know some of the history behind them, whether that is an anecdote about the Lodge or the Brother to whom the jewel belonged, it doesn't matter, because it's interesting to me. I can now understand why the military medal collectors like to research named pieces now. What is important to you is that those pieces you shared with us are not only Masonic, but given to you by your father as well. I have a drawer in my chest containing some very ordinary looking items, including tatty aprons and other things that perhaps in truth are really only fit for the rubbish. BUT, they were given to me by Brethren that I have stood 'shoulder to shoulder' with in a Lodge Room, or their widows, and that means more to me than anything. Tonight, I was at a meeting of a Lodge that was founded in 1732 (St John the Baptist, No. 39) and with me was a very good friend who showed me that under the flap of his apron were about six names of Brethren who had owned and worn the apron before him, going back - we guess - to the 1920s. History and pride in such items cannot be bought, we are just their temporary custodians. Just add your love to these items and make sure that, when you join the Grand Lodge above many years from now, they are passed on to someone else who will appreciate them.... whoops! In danger of getting sentimental and going off topic again!! I think I made my point somewhere in all that!

Would be particularly unusual if I could get my Dad to drive a 400 mile round trip for a Lodge meeting, it's bad enough (so my Mom tells me) getting him to go to the local supermarket

Have I got you all stumped? Or did I make it too easy and you're all too kind to embarrass me? Will give the answer in a day or so, unless anyone has a burning desire to 'scoop' the top prize...

I'm in danger of going off-topic here, but I shall take that risk! For me, even if you have known someone to be a Mason for some time, but have never stood in Lodge with them, then the moment that you do is quite special. My father an I are very close, but he's not 'on the Square' and has never shown any interest, so I envy those that have that satisfaction.

Mike - a lovely jewel, watch and fob. Both - you were both fortunate that your fathers were Masons and had that extra bond between you. When my blindfold was removed, all those years ago, I only recognised my Proposer and Seconder!

Well, Friends and Brethren, Doesn't that show the power and reach of this Forum? Within 24 hours of posting a picture of a medal - of which I only knew a little history - there is a translation of the Cyrillic script AND a communication from the Very Worshipful Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Russia. Thank you, Sir and Brother! I wouldn't wish to 'claim' him as a Member of our Forum, but you can see that our requests for information are spread far and wide and, in true Masonic style, answered promptly and authoritatively. Going for a lie down after all that excitement....

Wow! Your Russian is better than mine! As it would take me all night to find the right Cyrillic characters in Windows to elaborate on the various legends, I am enclosing in this post a copy of an entry from WTR Marvin's "Medals of the Masonic Fraternity" which is the only mention I have found of it (I think!). Top banana!!!! Any further elaboration would be welcome. Sincerely, WM5806 [attachmentid=24467]

Regret that I don't know whether they will allow photography. It may be worth contacting the staff at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry to see whether they are producing a brochure or promotional material. Masonic Quarterly magazine has one article I found in a past issue, and also mentions that the Prestonian Lecture will be on this subject. Freemasonry Today has featured an article about an impending book on the subject (issue 13, page 11), but the article is only accessible to on-line subscribers - I cannot find my back copy of that issue (Google does have it in its cache still, if you just want to see the text). The book was written by Philip RS May GC, himself a Mason, and it now appears to have been finished (May GC, Philip, (ed. Cowley, Richard), Beyond the Five Points: Masonic Winners of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross, Twin Pillars Books, 2001). More than that, I cannot at this late hour add , but a Google search finds 16,900 hits, but I'm sure that there's quite a lot of repetition and non-relevant references there, purely by the number of hits. Good luck,

Most Glorious of them All To mark the 150th Anniversary of the institution of the Victoria Cross in 1856, the Library and Museum of Freemasonry is mounting a new exhibition about some of the holders of Victoria Cross who were freemasons. The criterion for the award is simple- conspicuous valour in the presence of the enemy- but its winners have been drawn from all sections of the armed forces (and include some civilians under military command) and from all walks of life. In freemasonry holders of the Victoria Cross have achieved high rank but many were simply loyal members of individual lodges. The exhibition draws extensively on a private collection of objects associated with individual winners. It includes everyday objects, fighting tools, ceremonial items, photographs and masonic regalia. These objects provide a physical link to their owners, their everyday nature transcended by their association with heroism. The items worn and used by famous people such as Nelson have become nationally iconic, the objects in this exhibition show how the lives of less well known men can still be accessed through objects that they used. [attachmentid=24403] Exhibition Location/Dates/Times The Library & Museum of Freemasonry, Freemasons' Hall,Great Queen Street, London Monday 30th January - Friday 26th May 2006 (Monday to Fridays only) Open: 10am to 5pm Admission free

OK, there were a few views of the previous "What is it?", but no opinions yet (Go on - be brave!), so here's another in case that was too easy for you! This is a Masonic medal with Cyrillic script on both sides - possibly Russian? - I have found one reference to it, but would welcome any thoughts. There is a date of 1775 on there, but is that the date it was struck, or was that the date that was being commemorated by its issue? BTW, it's about 64mm dia. and appears to have a lighter coloured plating over a darker metal. If anyone would like a higher resolution scan than I can easily post, then please PM me. Good luck! [attachmentid=24392]

Alright chaps, I bought this a few years ago from overseas, despite not knowing what it was, but being fairly certain it was Masonic. It took me a little while to find out just what it is, and I'm now posing the same question to you. No prizes, but lots of fun in guessing....! If the picture is not too clear, the lettering on the jewel says "G.L.A.S.F." and "INDIA" Enjoy! [attachmentid=24389]

That would mean though that he didn't have them assayed or gilded until their sale, which seems unlikely to me (IMHO). Can't think of anything that ties in with engraved dates, numbers and assay office dates.

Possibly numbered them prior to selling them, but if he had done that, then he would have had to gild them after all the engraving was done (incl. this number), I would have thought. Dates (as far as I have checked) all tie in with their hallmarks, so dates are when made (or at least assayed). Will have to see if anyone else knows - I've just about run out of ideas!

No, Kgard, you're not missing anything, unless we are BOTH missing something. Certainly, your post above throws my theory out of the window, as why would he produce a jewel in 1805 and number it 287, and then number one that was produced 12 years later with a number that was 24 places before the former - doesn't make sense! However - and amongst all this you have to remember that the Lodges were renumbered in 1792, 1814, 1832 and 1863 - I don't think that there were 900 Lodges (by 1827) to which a Chapter could be attached. Looking at Lane's Masonic Records, the last Lodge to be warranted in 1827 was Aurora Lodge of Candour and Cordiality (then) numbered 816, the warrant being awarded on 6 October of that year, although they merged with another Lodge a few years later. The best I can do to put it into context is state that the subsequent Lodge to be warranted was Albany Lodge (3 Jan 1828) and which was numbered 817, renumbered 545 in 1832 and finally coming to rest as 389 (in 1863), the number it still carries to this day. So, we have jointly blown both those ideas out of the water, has anyone else out there any better ideas?

Pretty sure not by Chapter number, as the Huyshe one is numbered '900' and there can't have been that many Chapters then. So, my best guess is that they were numbered sequentially, as made. Would be fascinated to know how much they cost new, in those days....

Yup, That's exactly what Kgard the Wise suggestedin an email (I suspect to spare my public blushes). I have never really played with Access (although am pretty good at using Excel as a flatform database) and find the prospect rather daunting. WM5806

Hi Ed, No, doubt I would find anything specific to Masonic items as no-one can have claimed to have catalogued them all. I just wanted something that I could customise the fields for so that Lodge name, number, inscription etc could all be recorded. Would still value any suggestions.....

Wow! Another one! Even without seeing the hallmark or the maker's name on the other side, I can tell it's likely to be a Harper as he numbered all his Chapter jewels and you can just see the number '287' on the lower right swag. Not sure if your question marks are to indicate a discrepancy between the AL and AD dates? If so, then it was common for the AL date to be derived by adding 4004 years to the AD - it seems we just got lazy and didn't bother about the odd four years, only adding 4000 in recent times. Lovely jewel......!

I am currently investigating the merits of different software packages to catalogue both my personal collection and that of the embryonic museum that I am responsible for. Although there seems to be a lot of software written for coin collectors and (military) medal collectors, I cannot seem to find anything suitable for my purposes. I know it is unrealistic to expect an off-the-shelf package, but many of the collectors' software packages claim to be customisable for your own requirements. I found one that did almost everything I want but wasn't customisable and the other was good, but kept resetting my screen resolution in an incredibly irritating and inconvenient manner. Although reasonably able in a Windows environment, I have never really dabbled with MS Access and am certainly not a programmer... Your suggestions would be most gratefully received and applied! (If this is covered in another area of the GMIC, my apologies, but please point me in the right direction)

Tom, I felt obliged to reply to your post, in the absence of anyone else so doing in the 12 hours since listed. I cannot offer any great enlightenment about the degrees of KT, KM or KTP as I am not a member of them. My understanding is that there is a certain interdependance of memberships and, although all degrees have to be worked for their award, KT and KM would be worked by the same Preceptory/Priory (the names for their gatherings) but at separate meetings, whilst the KTP degree is entirely separate but eligibility necessitates prior membership of KT/KM. I do have some jewels, pictures of which I would be happy to post (safer ground for me ), but I hope that there are others who will offer better information about the membership structure than I.

Although the photographs were submitted to me anonymously, I am reliably informed that you are correct. WM5806

Thank you Kgard A whole galaxy of Thomas Harper jewels may be seen on the Jewels of the Craft website (which I have the honour of managing) at Thomas Harper jewels, as well as a further biography on the Thomas Harper biography page. Whilst you're over there, there are many other, more modern, jewels illustrated. Kindest regards WM5806

Suppose it depends on whether you get stopped by a Brother or not WM5806