Can anybody identify this symbol? Horizontal letter S/snake with vertical/angled line bisecting it

reply to post by okbmd


All i know is that it was my grandfathers, but I dont know what it means.

I think it was the symbol of my grandfathers last name, but thats the best that I got.

Originally posted by micpsi
No, the Ouroboros is NOT a symbol of infinity. It's a symbol of perpetuity, or indefinitely long duration.

So sorry, but I am correct. It has many and deep meanings, but on the most surface level it does mean infinity. Here is a definition from the dictionary: Dictionary Definition

reply to post by ugie1028


It could be a representation of his family crest .

Just a thought .

reply to post by okbmd


Yes, that too. I guess you said it better than I did.

a crest.

Yes, it is Cotter & Sons of San Antonio, a real estate company.

reply to post by Ferris.Bueller.II


Looks like two horseshoes with a bar down the middle.

I would bet money that it originated from a cattle brand. Anyone who knows San Antonio's history would probably guess this.

Originally posted by new_here

Just last night, I took the notion to find the value (if any) of some old porcelain figurines that my mom had given me, that her sister had sent her back in the 50's or 60's when the sister was living overseas. On one, the only identifying marks on the bottom of it are: "Austria" and that strange S with a diagonal line thru it. It is very small, so I will get a magnifying glass and see if there is a snake head/tail, since the ends of the S are slightly 'fatter' than the rest of the S.

(I just remember that, because other items had a company name on the bottom, or at least a logo that was recognizable (like Hummel.) This one was a puzzle, and I could not find info on it --because I had no reliable search terms, due to the lack of info on the bottom.

Oh, it does have the number 64 stamped on it too. I assume that is a production number (like number 64 out of 1000 made, or some such.)

So yeah, I'm eager to know what comes of this thread too!

OP, try running google image searches like "porcelain marks" or "porcelain marks austria" and similar terms. There appear to be hundreds of different marks and pages with charts, etc. Personally I'm too lazy to root through all that stuff, but you might find your symbol and its meaning through that kind of research.

EDIT: Here's a link I just found to a 148-page eBook called "Porcelain marks. Austria. Czechoslovakia. Hungary". I can't tell you whether its any good or not but you might be interested.

Found this .

Sorry broken link .

If you search google images with "rosenthal pottery mark" . Look halfway down page 2

Regards

Looks kind of like this too..

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0fb9270a6c5d.jpg[/atsimg]

If it's the Cotter and Sons symbol maybe it means they want to make money hand over fist

Well "Google Goggles" came back with zip! That program/app is very very good, and I have never seen it come back with absolutely nothing. I got a good picture of each of the OP's representations, and I got nothing from the app. Sorry. Go in the building and ask them. Then come back and tell us.

reply to post by new_here


To identify marks on pottery: type in your browser - Antique and vintage pottery marks, it might take some research but you might find it. It is most likely a symbol for the company that made the pottery - further research might give you a date as they sometimes changed the marks accordingly. Was in the antique business for 30 plus years, hope this helps.


The symbol on the businesses in San Antonio is a different story, not sure what to search for there. Texas symbols maybe??

Originally posted by silent thunder
OP, try running google image searches like "porcelain marks" or "porcelain marks austria" and similar terms. There appear to be hundreds of different marks and pages with charts, etc. Personally I'm too lazy to root through all that stuff, but you might find your symbol and its meaning through that kind of research.

EDIT: Here's a link I just found to a 148-page eBook called "Porcelain marks. Austria. Czechoslovakia. Hungary". I can't tell you whether its any good or not but you might be interested.

edit on 1/16/11 by silent thunder because: (no reason given)

Hey thanks, silent thunder (but I'm not the OP--LOL!)

Thanks to you also, gandalphthegrey... off to search!

Since you said it was from the occult I did a bit of searching. Found this snippet that seems to describe what you're talking about.

Only the learned pagan knew the significance. The number 666 was written in serpentine letters like SSS, VVV, ZZZ = 666. They also arranged the letters different ways; sometimes they would turn them upside down or sideways. The SSS sometimes could be seen with a line drawn through the middle of all three S's and turned sideways. This is the origin of the popular amulet called the Oriental cross.

Source

Also:


Looks like it on the bottom.

reply to post by crazydaisy
Hey thanks, crazydaisy! I think I'm getting close. Saw somewhere that the S might stand for Spode. Still sleuthing...

Looks to me more like an ancient "No Snakes Allowed" symbol than anything else.

2nd.

Cotter and Sons logo:

Originally posted by billybobh3
Looks to me more like an ancient "No Snakes Allowed" symbol than anything else.

2nd.

It kinda loos like something from ancient greece to me

reply to post by Ferris.Bueller.II


Sorry for the late response, but yes - that is indeed one of the buildings and that is indeed the logo.

So thanks for finding a photo so I don't need to take one - next is to figure out... what does it mean?
Just to fulfill Godwin's Law, here's a Nazi reference:


It's kinda like the S rotated 90*, the sharp angles in the SS symbol are similar to the bisecting line in the Cotter & Sons logo.

I've looked through a few sites like this one which list and show tons of symbols: www.crossroad.to...

But none show this symbol.

The closest is the infinity symbol, which is similar but clearly a different symbol.
This youtube video has a similar symbol at about 31 seconds in. I checked the comments and there were a couple other people asking about it but no response that I could find in the 100+ comments. I asked again, hopefully get a response with at least the book it shows.

I have seen this symbol too but this time in Colchester and other towns from Essex, UK. I could found it on old and big buildings and also in pair. Two S for vertical snakes. I couldn't found out what it means. First I thought it is something related with Celtic symbolism, but I'm not sure now. But after reading all comments, I can say one thing - it's not just in one city or country, that should mean something globally.