Masonic Memorabilia & Collectibles

The Shriners Fez

2008-09-07T11:18:00.000-04:00

New Masonic Item Categories Added

2008-04-30T17:51:00.006-04:00

It seems that a good many people go to the Masonic Memorabilia site looking for rings, other jewelry, or memorabilia related to a number of different allied and appendant bodies.

DeMolay

Knights Templar

Scottish Rite

Shriners

Royal Order of Jesters

Daughters of the Nile

Order of the Eastern Star

Job's Daughters

Prince Hall Masons

Additionally, because Masonic rings continue to be so popular, we have added further breakdowns of rings into the following categories, in order to make it easier for members of these bodies to find the exact Masonic or Masonic-related ring they want:

Masonic Rings

Blue Lodge Rings

Past Master Rings

Knights Templar Rings

Scottish Rite Rings

Order of the Eastern Star Rings

York Rite Rings

Shrine Rings

DeMolay Rings

Masonic Rings: Scottish Rite, Knights Templar, and Eastern Star

2008-03-24T21:03:00.005-04:00

In an attempt to help Masons more easily find the specific types of Masonic rings they might be looking for, several new categories have been added to Masonic Memorabilia:

Shriners rings can still be found most easily at the Shriners Memorabilia site.

Shriners Convention: Imperial in St. Louis '08

2008-03-12T09:08:00.025-04:00

Shriners Convention
Golf Shirt

St. Louis '08
Imperial Council Session
Tote Bag

The Shriners will descend on St. Louis in force at the end of June this year, for the annual Shriners Convention, aka the 134th Imperial Council Session. Actually, there are many Shriners conventions across North America throughout the year, but only one rates a capital "C" in Convention -- the annual Imperial Council Session. The Big One. In the eyes of many, the Only One.

When I worked for the Shriners, I attended a few Imperial Council Sessions, and one of them was in St. Louis in 1997. Being part of the Shrine's Imperial Council Session is an experience never to be forgotten -- but I have to confess, some of the details can get a little blurry.

I think the Session in St. Louis was the one where a colleague and I walked through a fountain on our way back to the hotel one night, after enjoying too many Goldschlagers. The next morning, I called my colleague to ask if he had any aspirin, and he asked me if I had any idea why his shoes were soaking wet. Or maybe that was at the Session in Indianapolis. As I said, the details can get a little blurry.

Shriners and their Ladies who attend the Imperial Session in St. Louis might be interested in a St. Louis '08 golf shirt or Session tote bag. We also have Session boxer shorts, baseball caps, men's and women's t-shirts and more.

Shrine Temples, Units, Clubs, Shrine Associations, and other groups might be interested in ordering a supply of Session Buttons or Session Bumper Stickers for the whole group.

A wide assortment of general Shrine merchandise can be found at Shriners Memorabilia.

For more information about the 2008 Imperial Council Session, visit the Official Moolah Shriners 2008 Session web site.

Ray Stevens always makes me laugh with his "Shriners Convention":

Masonic Exonumia

2008-02-02T09:54:00.004-05:00

There's a lot of Masonic exonumia available for sale on Masonic Memorabilia.

No, that's not a dirty word. It's not anti-Masonic, and it's not some sort of wild conspiracy theory revolving around the Bilderburgers or the Illuminati, either.

Exonumia refers to studying or collecting coin-like objects -- tokens, medallions, coin-like souvenirs, elongated coins, wooden nickels, and the like. A person who collects exonumia is an exonumist.

In the Masonic Coins and Medals section of Masonic Memorabilia, the exonumia enthusiast or collector will find Masonic pennies, elongated Masonic pennies, Masonic medallions, such as one from a 1965 dedication of a Masonic Lodge in California, and even silver bars with the Masonic symbol engraved on them.

There are many antique Masonic pennies, coins and tokens, including a very interesting looking Masonic token dating from 1864 and imprinted "Cambridge Royal Arch Chapter," which of course is part of the Knights Templar, one of the bodies Masonic can join after achieving the 3rd degree in the Blue Lodge.

A few definitions, in case you're interested:

Coin:
A piece, usually metal, issued by a government to serve as legal tender. Coins are not exonumia.

Token:
A piece issued by non-governmental bodies or entities with an exchange value or a denomination, either explicit or implied. Tokens are meant to be used for certain type s of commercial exchanges, such as subway tokens, for example

Medal:
Usually circular or round, issued as a souvenir or for artistic purposes and not to be used for commerce.

Medallion:
A medal larger than 15 centimeters across.

Elongated coin:
An official governmental coin, run through a pressing device to change its shape, and generally used as a souvenir.

Counterstamped:
A governmental coin stamped with letters or symbols, to serve as a souvenir.

There are many other types of exonumia, but these are the primary and best-known ones. It's astonishing how much Masonic exonumia is out there.

Shriners Memorabilia

2008-01-27T20:33:00.003-05:00

The Masonic Memorabilia site has proved to be quite popular. Many Masons have visited the site to find Masonic rings, tie pins, badges, wallets, and other Masonic items.

The site logs show that many Shriners have been visiting the site specifically looking for Shrine rings, fezzes, and other Shrine-related products. So I have created a new site, Shriners Memorabilia, which presents only products that are Shrine-specific, so that Shriners don't have to go hunting through all the Masonic stuff to find the Shrine merchandise.

Order of the Eastern Star

2008-01-14T17:11:00.003-05:00

The Order of the Eastern Star (OES) is a fraternal organization to which both men and women may belong. Men must be Masons to be eligible for membership, and women must be related to a Mason (e.g., wife, mother, daughter, widow, and certain other family relationships).

Eastern Star has its own governing body, separate from that of Masonry, but its members subscribe generally to the Masonic tenets of good citizenship and morality.

As a separate body, OES has its own symbols and graphics, as well, and members can wear Eastern Star rings and other jewelry to reflect their membership in the Eastern Star.

Masonic Watches

2008-01-13T11:11:00.004-05:00

Today on Masonic Memorabilia there are quite a few very nice, elegant Masonic watches, including Masonic wristwatches and Masonic pocket watches.

In particular, there is an interesting 3-sided antique Masonic pocket watch from about 1930, in a white gold case with Masonic emblems on the face of the dial.

There is also a Past Masters antique Masonic pocket watch from 1937, with an emblem on the back bearing a Past Master notation and the name of the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Temple.

Masonic Patches and A Past Master's Ring

2008-01-11T10:17:00.003-05:00

Masonic Past Master's Ring

While Masonic rings will probably always be the most popular Masonic item among Freemasons, many Masons might be interested in other Masonic merchandise if they only knew it existed.

There's a batch of police-related Masonic patches appearing for sale right now: A Washington State Police Masonic patch, an LAPD Masonic patch, a New Hampshire State Police Masonic patch, and a New Mexico State Police AF&AM patch, among others. How did the Masons manage to get state police patches made especially for Masonry?

For the traditionalists, Masonic rings are plentiful, though, and there's a beautiful Past Master Masonic ring list in the Handcrafted Masonic Jewelry section of Masonic Memorabilia.

Masonic Zippos?

2008-01-08T17:49:00.001-05:00

Can you believe there are Masonic Zippo lighters? I know that there has been a lot of Masonic merchandise produced over the years -- but who'd a thunk it?

Also Masonic cigarette cases, Masonic ashtrays, and even Masonic cigar bands.

Mid-19th Century Masonic Newspaper

2008-01-08T09:56:00.003-05:00

In the Masonic Postcards & Documents section of Masonic Memorabilia this week, there is listed for sale a Masonic newspaper, the Masonic Mirror, dated June 30, 1852. The subtitle on the masthead reads, "Devoted To The Diffusion Of Masonic Intelligence, Literature, The Fine Arts, News, Etc."

What a wonderful find! Any Mason interested in Masonic history would probably find this paper fascinating.

The Shriners Fez

2008-01-08T09:35:00.006-05:00

The Shriners are sort of a sub-set of the Masons. In order to become a Shriner, one must first be a Mason -- but the Shriners operate independently of the Masons and have their own governing body, the Imperial Council.

The Shriners have a whole 'nother set of logos and graphics, including the Sword & Crescent, which constitutes the official logo of the Shriners, and the widely recognized Shriners Fez, which is the "official headgear" of the organization.

There's a somewhat amusing collection of Shriners Fez items for sale on eBay. There are, as might be expected, regular garden-variety Shrine Fezzes that can be bought or bid on. But in addition, there is a fez-shaped Ezra Brooks decanter, a set of Shriner Fez pendants and charms, a Michelob Shriners Fez (complete with tassle), a rhinestone-studded fez pin, and even a very old (dare I say antique?) 32nd Degree Mason's Hat.

How about a coin bank in the shape of a fez-wearing dog? Or a teddy bear wearing a fez studded with Swarovski crystals? Fez lapel pins, fez earrings, and fez iron-on patches...... You can find it all on eBay!

Masonic Rings

2008-01-07T07:22:00.003-05:00

While many types of Masonic jewelry are popular among members of Freemasonry, Masonic rings may be the all-time favorite. Unlike Masonic cufflinks or tie tacks, which are generally only worn with suits, a Masonic ring can be worn with any type of clothing and is nearly always appropriate in any social setting.

Men who wish to wear a Masonic ring have their choice of gold Masonic rings, silver Masonic rings, and diamond Masonic rings -- all available for Master Masons, 32nd degree Scottish Rite Masons, and Knights Templar York Rite Masons.

A quality Masonic ring is a subtle but effective way for a man to declare his status as a member of the brotherhood of Freemasonry and to show his pride in that membership. For the Mason with a sense of history, there are beautiful antique Masonic rings, and the Mason with a limited budget has a wide choice of affordable 10k new and used Masonic rings.

Antique Knights Templar Sword

2008-01-06T18:27:00.003-05:00

Today Masonic Memorabilia is showing a listing for a beautiful antique Knights Templar sword and scabbard. This Civil War-era sword, made in the early 1860s, has an ivory grip featuring the Maltese Cross of the Knights Templar of the York Rite, a branch of Freemasonry.

This Masonic Knights Templar sword is part of a collection of Civil War era Masonic items that are being listed on eBay this week. Check out the listings at Masonic Memorabilia to see more of these rare and valuable antique Masonic items.

The Vast and Dizzying Array of Masonic and Shrine Memorabilia

2008-01-05T08:20:00.003-05:00

I've recently launched a new website that gathers, organizes and displays the vast and dizzying collection of Freemasonry, Scottish Rite, York Rite, and Shrine memorabilia and collectibles available on eBay. Masonic Memorabilia does a good job organizing and presenting the Masonic and Shrine items available from dozens of different eBay categorie.

Do you need a 14k gold Masonic ring or lapel pin? How about a necktie with the Square and Compass of Freemasonry emblazoned on it? All the usual suspects are there: Masonic hats, cufflinks, belt buckles, polo shirts, license plates.....

But there are some surprisingly interesting and unusual items, as well. For example, a historically valuable handwritten document dating from 1792 authorizing the initiation of a new Lodge member. What makes this document of particularly significant historical interest is that it is signed by John Marshall of the Supreme Court. John Marshall was himself a Mason, and at the age of 38 became the youngest Grand Master, before going on to serve as the 4th Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court. Until the auction ends, this document can be seen in the Masonic Autographs & Documents section of Masonic Memorabilia, or can be viewed at eBay directly.

In addition to the usual and expected things such as Masonic watches and pins, there are some stunningly beautiful and detailed handcrafted Masonic jewelry -- currently most of the items are of silver, but gold jewelry can be found as well.