1908 Savation Army Christmas thingy

[oddcoins]

My buddy Ron dug this thing today. Found the medallion part first at about a foot deep! around the perimeter It reads, CHICAGO MIDLAND PROVINCE CHRISTMAS 1908 . . . and in the middle it reads, BLOOD AND FIRE - THE SALVATION ARMY.

Then just few feet away he dug a copper plate thing that I think this medallion came out of! The medallion is about 61 or 62 millimeters in diameter.

Anyone know what this thing is?!

 

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[NOLA_Ken]

souvinier ashtray?

 

[Kenosha Kid]

souvinier ashtray?

The item is too small for one. 61mm is about 2.4 inches.

In the late 1800s, the Salvation Army divided the USA into provinces. The Chicago operations started in 1885 and was in the Midland Province, now known as the USA Central Territory.

"Blood and Fire" is the Salvation Army's motto, created in 1878 along with the design. It refers to Christ's sacrifice and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

http://www.sacollectables.com/symbols.html

Being a little over 2", I'd guess it was a pin/badge/fob for the 1908 Chicago Christmas campaign. In and around 1908, they had a nationwide goal to deliver thousands of dinner baskets; I think it numbered about 25,000.

Attached are a few pictures from the time. One is from the 1920s. The man is wearing a pin/badge and though I can't tell what it is, many of the pictures from that era show different chest badges. The other picture is a 1908 Christmas campaign worker.

 

[Kenosha Kid]

Found this while researching a Whitehead & Hoag item:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...=55&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com