Need Help - Pin With Pennsylvania State Seal

flinthunter · Mar 3, 2011

Estate sale find, not metal detector find. Need help from the experts here. This piece of sterling silver has the Pennsylvania state seal in the center of it. It measures 1 3/4 inches tall by 1 1/2 inches wide. It seems to be an older piece and was made by Wm Thegen's Son in Philidelphia Pa. What little info I could find on the pins maker shows that they made masonic pins and military medals. Do you think this could be a military or militia pin or just a piece of jewelry. Your thoughts on this are appreciated. Thanks

DCMatt · Mar 4, 2011

Very nice quality piece. I poked around and the latest reference I could find for Wm. Thegen's Sons was 1929.

Possibly a pin from the Pennsylvania Society:

DCMatt

Mackaydon · Mar 4, 2011

They were located at 618 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia (and 603 Chestnut--later, in 1927).

Kenosha Kid · Mar 4, 2011

Wm. Thegen's Son dates back to at least 1912. Link to a fraternal Lambda Chi Alpha badge they worked on :

http://www.crossandcrescent.com/2007/07/lambda-chi-alpha-badge-evolution

"On May 25, 1912, Cross took Cole’s Johnston badge to William Thegen’s Sons at 618 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, just half a block from Independence Hall, and ordered eight pins for the Pennsylvania chapter.

Thegen’s — like Johnston — was not known for making fraternity jewelry, but rather Masonic items and military medals."

As much as I've researched, Wm. Thegen (the father), was President of the Art Workers' Building and Loan Association in 1903.

http://books.google.com/books?id=SH...=0CEEQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q="Wm. Thegen"&f=false (page 309)

Did find a badge made by Wm. Thegen (no "son" mentioned), presented Dec. 1904 :

http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...=12&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com