Crescent pin

fyrffytr1 · Apr 19, 2010

Here's one more for you to ID and I'll leave you alone for tonight. It is a small crescent shaped pin. I can see an H on the front and there may be more letters but I'm not sure. Sorry the back is blurry.

Bigcypresshunter · Apr 19, 2010

Possibly Shriners.

fyrffytr1 · Apr 21, 2010

I was talking with my brother about some of the other items that have been IDed here and brought up the Shriner link on this pin.
He said"You know it is the Man in the Moon, don't you?" I ask him what he meant and he told me to rotate the picture and I would see it.
He also said that this came from a known colonial site and is silver. Now, we both know that just because it came from a colonial site doesn't make it colonial.
So, here is the pin rotated to show the face.

Bigcypresshunter · Apr 21, 2010

Very strange pin. Man on the moon with a strange marking. Is that a scratch on top? A better pic of the back may help.

fyrffytr1 · Apr 21, 2010

bigcypresshunter said:
Very strange pin. Man on the moon with a strange marking. Is that a scratch on top? A better pic of the back may help.

It will be a while before I can get a better picture of the back. I'm in south Georgia and the pin is in Kentucky. I don't think there are any markings on the back. I will call my brother tomorrow and ask him about the scratch(?) and back.

72cheyenne · Apr 22, 2010

bigcypresshunter said:
Very strange pin. Man on the moon with a strange marking. Is that a scratch on top? A better pic of the back may help.

Just throwing my opinion out there. It looks like it was originally just a crescent pin that someone has filed and engraved the front to resemble the "man in the moon" look. I don't think the carving is original to the pin. In original, I mean that it wasn't manufactured that way but may have been done in the period. The nose and mouth notch look filed like with a triangle file.

Bigcypresshunter · Apr 22, 2010

72cheyenne said:
bigcypresshunter said:

Very strange pin. Man on the moon with a strange marking. Is that a scratch on top? A better pic of the back may help.

Click to expand...

Just throwing my opinion out there. It looks like it was originally just a crescent pin that someone has filed and engraved the front to resemble the "man in the moon" look. I don't think the carving is original to the pin. In original, I mean that it wasn't manufactured that way but may have been done in the period. The nose and mouth notch look filed like with a triangle file.

I think Cheyenne is right.

I like to add that the man on the moon is a Masonic symbol. http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/Moon.html

I highlighted the strange marking.

ShootTheMoon · Apr 25, 2010

Could be a early Edwardian era piece.
Early 1900's.
It almost looks like it was broken off from its stem. As in a tie pin.

Bigcypresshunter · Apr 25, 2010

Since its a homeade face, maybe it was an attempt to mark the Uranus symbol. :dontknow:

fyrffytr1 · Apr 25, 2010

I just talked to my brother. The mark at the top is not a scratch. He said it looks like a hat. There are no marks on the back. Only the pin swivel and hook are there.
This pin came from the same site that he found the revolutionary war "MEB" button at.