1692 Port Royal Spanish cross

FriscoT06

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Hi all, I just received a cross that I purchased on Ebay from Richard Armstrong aka revwarcannonballs. I bought it as a gift to my wife, but saw an identical one posted for sale immediately after I bought it, and have since read some reviews online that this seller sometimes accidentally puts the wrong provenance for items. What are your thoughts on this cross? Mine is the darker one, and the lighter one is on ebay now. Is it at least from before 1692?

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WaterWalker

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It looks like the seller is a middle man or obtained many items from Joseph Becker. Did you receive an authentication letter by Becker? It is possible that both crosses were recovered, displayed and sold to Becker when the museum was closed to pay its debt. I did not find anything on Becker or a Port Royal Museum closing. Looks nice, have your wife wear it and enjoy any story passed on with its purchase.
 

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FriscoT06

FriscoT06

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Thanks! Any ideas if the age is right? I couldn't find anything on the use of molds for pendant crosses from that time period.
 

WaterWalker

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Suspension loops such as shown were used back in the 11th century and before.
The closest to your cross that I have seen is an Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic cross from the Aksum region. However the photo/info was not dated. Hope this helps and might further your search for the answer.

 

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FriscoT06

FriscoT06

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There are a lot of modern ethiopian coptic crosses on ebay, thanks! Luckily it doesn't match any of the modern ones for sale! Let ya know if anything else comes up thx!
 

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