Just recently, my fiance's grandmother passed away. In the midst of cleaning out her old possessions, I stumbled across an odd coin in her collection.





Judging from what I've been able to google, it's Masonic, but I can't figure out much more than that.

Since my camera is junk and these are the best pictures I can get out of it, I'll write out what's on both sides.

The side with the menorah reads:

Flatbush Chapter N°.298-RAM

On the flip side, there are two dates: March 6th, 1905 (above the keystone) and "5-17-1929" (Below the first date, within the keystone).

The other words around the edge read "Constituted", "One Penny", "Brooklyn, N.Y." The circle around the swastika has a series of letters. Starting from the leftmost side and going clockwise, they are "K S H T W S S T"

Within the triangle surrounding the swastika, there are another series of letters. One for each side of the triangle: R B
H

I'm really not sure what to make of this thing. I'm somewhat puzzled why there would be a menorah on one side and the swastika on the other. Anyone know what this is or what the meaning behind it could be?

wow that is weird, def masonic.. that isn't a nazi symbol though, because the nazi symbol is turned

Thank you for that, Zero. At least I know what it is now

Hikix, I agree that it's not the nazi swastika. Many cultures used it before Hitler soiled it.

Looks interesting, did your Grandmother ever mention anything about this coin to your fiance or your fiance's parent? Was it with any other stuff, if so have a look at it.

Good find and congratulations on the fiance

Pretty much anything you need to know can be Googled from the information you've provided.

It's a Masonic coin from a chapter (#298) of (York Rite) Royal Arch Masons (RAM) in Flatbush NY. As to the engraved dates... I'd wager the grandfather was born on March 6th, 1905 and made a Mason when he was 24 years old, on May 17, 1929.

Earliest use of the swastika dates back over 3000 years to ancient China. Was discovered in astronomical records depicting the passage of comets. Apparently a comet was seen outgassing at 4 equidistant points, producing 4 distinct spiraling tails that looked very much like, well, what we call the swastika today.

This must have been a very dramatic and life-changing apparition in the sky, for the symbol appears in many, many diverse cultures over great geographic distance and time. It's been adopted by several movements throughout history, the Nazis were really only the most recent to appropriate the swastika.

Over here (In Scotland) there is a degree that can be taken called the mark degree. Once you have been through it you are given a mark coin/token as its called.

They can be purchased from any Lodge you go in over here, they are exactly the same, various designs on the front depending on the lodge with the same keystone shape on the back with engraving in the middle.

Looks like this is an old similair thing.

My Great Grandfather was a mason, my grandmother has one of those coins too. Not EXACTLY like yours but very similiar.

its strange how I was browsing mason topics and thought of my grandfathers masonry items[ a pin, coin, and ring] and stumbled on a photo of ur coin.

sadly i dont know what it means either. ive only seen our mason items once or twice.

Before the Nazi's hijacked the swastika it was usually a symbol of good luck. It can be found everywhere, and still is used as a posative symbol in asia.....You'll find it in Buddist temples, Hindu temples, in Native American art, ancient celtic knots etc etc etc....

It's world wide usage is why Hitler hijacked it he could have easily chosen the Yin-yang, or a cross, or a triangle, or a crescent moo, a tree or what have you......it's sad that most now only recognize it as a symbol of hate.

There doesn't really have to be a family tie in to the masons for the person who had this to keep it. I know several collectors who would have held on to it just for the sake of it being relatively unusual.

My wife collects coins and tokens, along with paper money, and I'm sure she would have kept that.

Good little mystery thread. And with the masonic historians here, it was just the right place to get information on this.