Item number: M305

Year: AD 1872-1920s

Material: Gold-filled and Enamel

Size: 42.8 x 23.2 x 3.8 mm

Weight: 10.55 g

Provenance: Belmont Coin & Jewelry 2024

This is a watch chain pendant issued in AD 1872 by the fraternal organisation “Knights of the Golden Eagle,” founded in Baltimore, USA. The pendant is designed in the shape of a hexagonal shield, with a decorative golden eagle standing atop a sphere at the top.

At the centre of the shield is the fraternity’s enamelled emblem, featuring a spread-winged eagle perched on a shield, which is divided into four sections by two crossed swords. The upper blue section bears the fraternity’s abbreviation, “KGE.” The right blue section depicts a knight with a sword at his side. The lower red section is adorned with a sword piercing a crown, while the left black section contains a skull. At the centre of the emblem is an open book with the letters “FVH,” representing the fraternity’s motto: Fidelity, Valour, and Honour.

The reverse side of the shield depicts a rural scene: in the foreground, a pair of birds tending to their eggs at the edge of a nest, and in the background, a pastoral landscape with a village tower rising above the countryside.

A fraternity is a type of social organisation that has flourished in both the Americas and Europe. The Knights of the Golden Eagle is a fraternity founded on the ideals of the Christian spirit of the Crusades, with membership restricted to Christian white males aged 18 and above. The internal hierarchy of the order, modelled after the Crusades, consists of three ranks: Pilgrim, Knight, and Crusader, in descending order.

At its peak around AD 1900, the Knights of the Golden Eagle operated across 20 U.S. states, boasting nearly 60,000 members and evolving into a mutual aid society with insurance functions. However, the organisation declined after World War II. By AD 2001, the order remained active only in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

物件編號: M305

年代: 公元 1872-1920 年代

材質: 包金, 琺瑯

尺寸: 42.8 x 23.2 x 3.8 mm

重量: 10.55 g

來源: 貝爾蒙特錢幣與珠寶 2024

這是一枚公元1872年，於美國巴爾的摩成立的「金鷹騎士團」兄弟會發行的手錶鍊吊墜。吊墜的形制為六角型盾牌，頂部有一隻站在圓球上的金鷹裝飾。

盾牌正中央是兄弟會琺瑯彩繪會徽，一隻站在盾牌上的展翅老鷹，盾牌被兩把交叉的長劍分成四個區塊。上方的藍色區塊是兄弟會的縮寫「KGE」，右側的藍色有一名持劍於腰間的騎士。下半部的紅色以一把穿過王冠的劍裝飾，左半部的黑色則有一個骷髏頭。會徽的正中央是一本打開的書，中間的「FVH」是兄弟會的格言「忠誠、勇氣和榮譽」縮寫。盾牌背面是一幅鄉村的圖像，近景是一對在巢邊照顧蛋的雀鳥，遠景是一座有高塔的鄉村田園風光。

兄弟會是一種盛行於美洲和歐洲的社交組織，金鷹騎士團是推崇十字軍基督教精神成立的兄弟會，成員僅限18歲以上基督教白人男性。騎士團內部模仿十字軍從高到低，分為：朝聖者(Pilgrim)、騎士(Knight) 和十字軍(Crusader) 三個成員等級。金鷹騎士團在公元1900年的高峰時期，活動範圍橫跨全美20個州，並且有將近6萬名成員，還轉型為有保險功能的互助組織。騎士團在第二次世界大戰結束後走向沒落，截至公元2001年，騎士團僅有在紐澤西、德拉瓦和賓夕法尼亞州活動。