When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
HI, THANKS FOR VISITING.
Up for sale is a vintage Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.) member\'s lapel pin — a small gold-tone emblem pin with a spread-winged eagle set inside a plain ring, and a curved banner across the bottom in red, white and blue enamel carrying the letters F · O · E in raised gold-tone.
Two stones are set into the front: a small red faceted stone at the top, in the eagle\'s head position, and a larger colorless faceted stone in a round bezel at the centre of the eagle\'s breast. The stones are not identified and have not been tested — they are described by color and cut only, and the pin is offered as costume.
It comes in two parts, as originally made: the emblem, with a threaded screw post on the back, and a separate knurled screw-on nut that holds it to the lapel. Both are present, and the nut threads on correctly and holds tight. There is a darkened residue around the base of the post on the reverse, on the hidden side.
There is no maker\'s mark and no metal-content mark on either part. It is gold-tone metal and is not marked gold filled, gold plate or sterling, and is not offered as any of those. Neither part reacts to a magnet.
The Fraternal Order of Eagles was founded on February 6, 1898, in Seattle, Washington, by six rival theatre owners — John Cort, the Considine brothers, H.L. Leavitt, Mose Goldsmith and Arthur G. Williams — who came together to talk over a musicians\' strike and decided to cooperate rather than compete. They called themselves \"The Order of Good Things\" at first; as the group grew they took the bald eagle as their emblem and the name The Fraternal Order of Eagles, with the motto \"Liberty, Truth, Justice and Equality.\" A local lodge is called an Aerie.
What the Eagles did next is the part worth knowing. In 1904 they made the first public plea for a national Mother\'s Day, which became official in 1914. Their lobbying produced the first state old-age pension law, in Montana in 1923, and they were a real force behind the Social Security Act of 1935. In 1957 they launched \"Jobs After 40,\" a nationwide campaign against age discrimination in hiring. Membership ran to roughly 800,000 by 1979. Their charitable slogan is still \"People helping people,\" and the order\'s headquarters is in Grove City, Ohio. A small pin like this was a member\'s everyday emblem, worn on a jacket lapel — the kind of object that turns up in a drawer decades after the Aerie hall has closed.
Details
- Type: Fraternal Order of Eagles member\'s emblem lapel pin. No year or term of membership is shown on the pin, and none is claimed.
- Maker: none marked
- Form: round; spread-winged eagle within a plain ring, over a three-panel red/white/blue enamel banner reading F O E
- Measurements: approximately 7/16″ tall × 7/16″ wide (about 11 mm × 11 mm)
- Marks: none on either part — no maker\'s mark, no metal-content mark
- Stones: one small red faceted stone at the top in the eagle\'s head position; one larger colorless faceted stone in a round bezel at the centre. Not identified, not tested, sold as costume.
- Metal: gold-tone, non-magnetic base metal — neither part reacts to a magnet. There is no gold-content mark of any kind on this pin — it is not marked gold filled and is not offered as such.
- Fastening: threaded screw post with matching knurled screw-on nut — both parts present; the nut threads on correctly and holds tight
- Era: early to mid 20th century. The screw-post-and-nut fitting is the older style and was largely displaced by clutch backs from the 1960s onward, which points to the earlier end of that range. With no maker\'s or content mark there is nothing on the pin to date it more tightly,.
- Note on the stones: set stones appear on a range of Eagles member pins. I have not found documentation tying them to a particular rank or term of membership, and none is claimed here.
- Condition: vintage, intact, and complete in two parts. All three enamel panels — red, white and blue — are complete, with no chips or losses. There is some light surface grime on the red panel; the pin has not been cleaned. Light surface wear and minor scratches to the gold-tone metal, consistent with age and use. Sold as found, unpolished.
BEING SOLD IN \"AS IS\"/USED CONDITION.
PLEASE REFER TO PHOTOS FOR CONDITION.
RETURNS ACCEPTED ON THIS ITEM WITHIN 30 DAYS.
SHIP WITHIN 4 BUSINESS DAYS OF PAYMENT.
PAYMENT BY PAYPAL ONLY. PLEASE ASK ANY QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE.
