Posted 10 years ago
ancientone99
(1 item)
This belongs to a friend of mine and i am trying to help him with identification. The closest I've found is a 1925ish key fob in the shape of a swastika. it's approx. 22mm and felt like pewter or lead. Strap is approx another 50mm with buckle in middle. any help is much appreciated,
Charlie
Very interesting piece, not sure if you have seen this or not but here is link
http://www.swastika-info.com/en/startpage/usa/1069618500.html.
Good luck.
Looks to be a fantasy piece to me.
Made to look old and never produced compared to reproductions which are based from originals.
Shown in Petretti's 12th Edition, page 502. Listed as c. 1915. The literal translation for swastika is good fortune. The symbol was used to portray positive vibes for centuries, until the Nazi's hijacked and forever tainted it. This fob dates to before Hitler rose to power.
You see the cutout version often but not the earlier stamped fob. Tell your friend it's a good collectible to keep.
Some find the symbol offensive, despite the early context. Others appreciate these fobs for what they are: Old and Authentic Coca-Cola. I've seen them sell for 100-200 on eBay. Could bring a little more.
Oh my bad.
Just a verification to earlier comments, the swastika was widely use as a good luck/fortune symbol long before the Nazi party adopted it. It can also be seen on the early Boy Scouts good luck tokens from the early 1900's.
Huge red flags with this piece. While the Swastika was used my many religions long before the Nazi's it was always placed in such a way it had a flat bottom. The Nazi's turned it on it's corner. A Nazi symbol (which it is-being on it's corner) has no place on a Coca cola piece.
The link above clearly shows the correct position for the swastika previous to the Nazi's. http://www.swastika-info.com/en/startpage/usa/1069618500.html.
Be that as it may, this fob is well documented in the books and authentic. And the swastika as a good fortune symbol was indeed displayed in the tilted form. That's well documented as well.
http://www.mallstuffs.com/Blogs/BlogDetails.aspx?BlogId=257&BlogType=Spiritual&Topic=Swastika%20in%20american%20antique%20greeting%20cards