🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Pennsylvania medal ID?

[DirtTreasures]

Found this metal detecting in Somerset, PA with @BigWaveDave

It has "e pluribus unum" on the bottom ribbon and the Pennsylvania insignia in the center. The back is clearly a ribbon hanger with some ribbon in it!

Any ideas on a proper ID?

 

[Blackfoot58]

This MAY be a Royal Arch Mason piece.
The keystone symbol was emblematic of the Stone rejected from the builder’s use that became the cornerstone (Christ).
If so, it could be either York Rite OR Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.
However, the latin “pluribus” doesn’t appear in Royal Arch mottos or Pennsylvania’s motto; to the best of my knowledge

 

[BigWaveDave]

Welcome to TreasureNet my friend! I hope you get an ID on this. Sweet that it still has some textile stuck to it! There are guys on here who can help, they just gotta see it. Give it a few days…. But I’ve also seen things get ID’d months and years after they’ve been posted.
In the meantime, check out all that this site has to offer. There are countless rabbit hole threads in here. It’ll make you a better treasure hunter as it certainly has for me.
Best! BWD

 

[pepperj]

National Guard of Pennsylvania

 

[Red-Coat]

National Guard of Pennsylvania

That's what a top-level AI answer would have you believe, but an image search produces no matches. For what it's worth, if you then probe further, AI says:

Because this unique shape is not a standard uniform pin or pocket patch, it fits the design profile of a metal components piece manufactured by private companies (such as C.G. Braxmar Co. or J.K. Davison) active in Philadelphia and New York around 1890–1920. These manufacturers kept stamping dies of state seals and built horizontal, multi-pieced frames exactly like this to fulfill custom orders. If a direct photo match isn't showing up under National Guard searches, it strongly points to a sibling category made by the same factories using the identical National Guard of Pennsylvania style elements:
State Firemen or Police Associations: Organizations like the Firemen's Association of the State of Pennsylvania ordered highly elaborate, horizontal metal bars to distribute at their annual state conventions.
Fraternal Organizations: Civil War legacy groups like the Sons of Veterans, U.S.A. (Pennsylvania Division) regularly utilized these custom keystone-shaped multi-tiered uniform badges for high-ranking members.

 

[The Rebel]

Possible civil war veterans reunion pin

 

[DirtTreasures]

National Guard of Pennsylvania

That was my first thought, but I haven't found any online examples like it.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Here is what A.I. had to say about it..

This is an antique/vintage metal (brass- or bronze-toned) keystone-shaped badge or lapel pin featuring the Pennsylvania state coat of arms/seal, with the U.S. motto “E Pluribus Unum” at the bottom.

picclick.com
Pennsylvania is known as the Keystone State, and the distinctive keystone (wedge/capstone) shape has long been used as a de facto state emblem on official items, military insignia (including Pennsylvania National Guard/28th Infantry Division “Keystone” or “Bloody Bucket” patches and related badges), police/fire badges, markers, and various civic or patriotic pins.

en.wikipedia.org
Key design elements visible (despite corrosion and patina):

• Central keystone containing the Pennsylvania coat of arms elements (shield with traditional symbols such as a ship, plow, and sheaves of wheat; supported by horses; crested by an eagle).
• Crossed poles/rifles or similar behind the keystone.
• Side extensions (appearing book- or flag-like with horizontal lines and ornate ends).
• A smaller top element (banner, pavilion, or secondary shield).
• Bottom scroll or ribbon reading “E PLURIBUS UNUM” (“Out of many, one”).

This matches listings of nearly identical antique/vintage “Pennsylvania State Seal Keystone Badge Pin” items described with the same combination of keystone shape, state seal symbols (horses, eagle, shield, flags), metal construction, size (roughly 1½″ tall × 2″ wide), age-related oxidation/patina, and the “E Pluribus Unum” motto.

picclick.com
Sellers typically note it as a collectible from an estate, with uncertain exact age/history but consistent with late-19th to early-20th-century patriotic, militaria, or organizational use (Pennsylvania State Police and other agencies have used keystone + seal designs; similar forms appear in National Guard, Home Defense, railroad, fire, or fraternal contexts).It is not a modern reproduction of a standard current military DUI or shoulder sleeve insignia (those usually lack this exact extended form and the national motto in place of Pennsylvania’s “Virtue, Liberty and Independence”). The heavy corrosion and style point to an older original piece rather than a recent replica.If you have clearer close-ups of the reverse (for maker marks, attachment style, or numbers), the center details, or any provenance, that could narrow the specific organization or exact period further.

 

[Digger54]

That's what a top-level AI answer would have you believe, but an image search produces no matches. For what it's worth, if you then probe further, AI says:

Because this unique shape is not a standard uniform pin or pocket patch, it fits the design profile of a metal components piece manufactured by private companies (such as C.G. Braxmar Co. or J.K. Davison) active in Philadelphia and New York around 1890–1920. These manufacturers kept stamping dies of state seals and built horizontal, multi-pieced frames exactly like this to fulfill custom orders. If a direct photo match isn't showing up under National Guard searches, it strongly points to a sibling category made by the same factories using the identical National Guard of Pennsylvania style elements:
State Firemen or Police Associations: Organizations like the Firemen's Association of the State of Pennsylvania ordered highly elaborate, horizontal metal bars to distribute at their annual state conventions.
Fraternal Organizations: Civil War legacy groups like the Sons of Veterans, U.S.A. (Pennsylvania Division) regularly utilized these custom keystone-shaped multi-tiered uniform badges for high-ranking members.

My glass is half empty when it comes to AI. My experience has been that AI stands for Always Incorrect.

 

[Bramblefind]

It looks very much like this delegate badge topper from the 1908 Democratic National Convention. I think it does... but I can't quite tell if it reads "E Pluribus Unum," and this Worthpoint listing doesn't show a close-up of that section.

1908 Democratic National Convention, Penn. Delegate Political Badge, Suffrage? | #4726092440

Wonderful 1908 Democratic National Convention, Denver, Colorado, Pennsylvania Delegate Badge. The back of the hanging medal says Equal Rights To All, Special Privileges To None . I think that the Eq

www.worthpoint.com

 

[villagenut]

Bramblefind to the rescue......great ID, I think you nailed that one...as always

 

[villagenut]

Side by side comparison of the two

 

[BigWaveDave]

Bramblefind!!! Great ID!
I’m gonna text my guy, can’t wait till he sees this!

 

[DirtTreasures]

It looks very much like this delegate badge topper from the 1908 Democratic National Convention. I think it does... but I can't quite tell if it reads "E Pluribus Unum," and this Worthpoint listing doesn't show a close-up of that section.

1908 Democratic National Convention, Penn. Delegate Political Badge, Suffrage? | #4726092440

Wonderful 1908 Democratic National Convention, Denver, Colorado, Pennsylvania Delegate Badge. The back of the hanging medal says Equal Rights To All, Special Privileges To None . I think that the Eq

www.worthpoint.com

Absolutely! That's it. Thank you so much!