Posted: 1/17/2024 1:30:43 PM EDT
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These were my fathers. Before he passed he told me they were real gold and valuable. I don't want to melt them, as they are exquisite in detail. The lodge he was in no longer exists, Darien Lodge, in the Panama Canal Zone. They are made by K. R. Park (Kenneth) Boston MA, who apparently crafted many of these. Are there collectors of these?  559A0174 by Entropy a, on Flickr 559A0179 by Entropy a, on Flickr 559A0170 by Entropy a, on Flickr
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There are collectors. A number of them sell on ebay. For the Grand Lodge of MA medal, they may be interested in it. https://massfreemasonry.org/contact-us/ |
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Originally Posted By medicmandan: There are collectors. A number of them sell on ebay. For the Grand Lodge of MA medal, they may be interested in it. https://massfreemasonry.org/contact-us/ Those are my dad's initials in that intricate scroll work on the MA medal. Took me a while to see it. How do I find out how much they are worth? |
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Originally Posted By entropy: Those are my dad's initials in that intricate scroll work on the MA medal. Took me a while to see it. How do I find out how much they are worth? Depends on the actual gold content. Beyond that they only have value to someone with a tie to them. Lodges/Grand Lodges may be interested in repatriating historical items. An Arf member worked with the G.L. of Michigan to get them back a Past Grand Master jewel that belonged to his grandfather (those are typically on loan until the member dies). If it belonged to George Washington, that would be a whole different story. |
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Originally Posted By medicmandan: Depends on the actual gold content. Beyond that they only have value to someone with a tie to them. Lodges/Grand Lodges may be interested in repatriating historical items. An Arf member worked with the G.L. of Michigan to get them back a Past Grand Master jewel that belonged to his grandfather (those are typically on loan until the member dies). If it belonged to George Washington, that would be a whole different story. What a shame, they are works of art. |
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Originally Posted By entropy: What a shame, they are works of art. As a Mason and Past Grand Master, I don't disagree. I regularly seek out items of Utah's Masonic history. I don't have a connection to MA Freemasonry so the "value" there is not as much to me. I would hate to see them melted down for the gold value. MA Grand Lodge may be interested in them. |
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Originally Posted By medicmandan: I would hate to see them melted down for the gold value. MA Grand Lodge may be interested in them. |
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Originally Posted By LenS: I agree. I am a life member of the GL of Massachusetts. I strongly suggest that the OP send an Email with the pictures to the Grand Secretary of the GL of Massachusetts. His name is MW Richard Maggio, [email protected] I sent an email this morning, thanks |
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Originally Posted By LenS: I agree. I am a life member of the GL of Massachusetts. I strongly suggest that the OP send an Email with the pictures to the Grand Secretary of the GL of Massachusetts. His name is MW Richard Maggio, [email protected] Your guy wants me to send them to him for nothing. Not going to happen. |
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Originally Posted By entropy: Your guy wants me to send them to him for nothing. Not going to happen. Of course, they can't force you to return them. It's an honor thing. |
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Freemasonry is alive and well in Panama. Here’s an email address for their Grand Lodge. [email protected] |
When you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die, the world cries as you rejoice.
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Little history on that lodge. https://masonicshop.com/masonic-articles/article/?a=147 |
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According to this article, Darien Lodge folded into Gatun Lodge in 1995 which is still an active lodge until the G.L. of MA. https://district.panamacanalmasons.org |
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Originally Posted By entropy: Your guy wants me to send them to him for nothing. Not going to happen. Originally Posted By entropy: Originally Posted By LenS: I agree. I am a life member of the GL of Massachusetts. I strongly suggest that the OP send an Email with the pictures to the Grand Secretary of the GL of Massachusetts. His name is MW Richard Maggio, [email protected] Your guy wants me to send them to him for nothing. Not going to happen. Your grandfather would have known that those weren’t his to keep, that they were only entrusted to him to be a steward of until it was time for someone else to be the steward. There must have been a communication breakdown that they were ever thought as anything other than that. Or possibly that fact was ignored entirely. I feel confidant in saying that he would have been disappointed. You do you, no one does it better. |
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This is an opportunity to remind everyone to have a Masonic Will. Let your family know where your stuff is, what it is and what to do with it. I have my dad’s things that he purchased or were presented to him as his to keep. They’re things like his KYCH jewel and jewels from other honorary bodies, his Past Master and Knight Templar rings and his Past Master, Past High Priest, Past Thrice Illustrious Master aprons and Past Commander’s jewel. I use all of them, except I gave our son his PTIM apron when he left the East. My wife and kids know that my Past Grand High Priest and Past Most Illustrious Grand Master jewels go back to the grand office. |
When you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die, the world cries as you rejoice.
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Originally Posted By tightlines49: Your grandfather would have known that those weren’t his to keep, that they were only entrusted to him to be a steward of until it was time for someone else to be the steward. There must have been a communication breakdown that they were ever thought as anything other than that. Or possibly that fact was ignored entirely. I feel confidant in saying that he would have been disappointed. You do you, no one does it better. They were my fathers, and specifically called out by him in his personal effects to give to me. I am sure if he had any belief that they were not his to give, he would have said so. Your comment and attitude speaks greatly about your fraternal organization and you. |
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Originally Posted By entropy: They were my fathers, and specifically called out by him in his personal effects to give to me. I am sure if he had any belief that they were not his to give, he would have said so. Your comment and attitude speaks greatly about your fraternal organization and you. Jurisdictions do things differently. I'm not sure what MA does in regard to these items. In Utah, the Past Grand Master jewels are on loan to us and are to be returned at death. Sadly, we don't do a good job of expressing that to those that have to deal with our effects. They get dumped into boxes with all of the other Masonic "stuff" we collect over the years. Sometimes that ends up in the garbage, handed off to other family members, on eBay or in pawn shops. Occasionally they make their way back to G.L. In some Jurisdictions these items are purchased directly by the member and are theirs to dispose of as they wish. A lot of Masonic items have no value to anyone else. Just about everyone has a copy of Morals and Dogma. If we kept every copy that was donated after a family member died that would be the entire library. Some items, like a 14th Degree Scottish Rite ring are intended to go to your son or best friend, with the direction that they do not wear it unless they also join. |
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Originally Posted By medicmandan: Jurisdictions do things differently. I'm not sure what MA does in regard to these items. In Utah, the Past Grand Master jewels are on loan to us and are to be returned at death. Sadly, we don't do a good job of expressing that to those that have to deal with our effects. They get dumped into boxes with all of the other Masonic "stuff" we collect over the years. Sometimes that ends up in the garbage, handed off to other family members, on eBay or in pawn shops. Occasionally they make their way back to G.L. In some Jurisdictions these items are purchased directly by the member and are theirs to dispose of as they wish. A lot of Masonic items have no value to anyone else. Just about everyone has a copy of Morals and Dogma. If we kept every copy that was donated after a family member died that would be the entire library. Some items, like a 14th Degree Scottish Rite ring are intended to go to your son or best friend, with the direction that they do not wear it unless they also join. I am about to affiliate with a NH Lodge and that Lodge just paid for a PM medal to be presented to the most recent PM. So NH seems to be the same way as MA in this regard. My Masonic ring is rather unique and was paid for by me, so upon my passing it will be disposed of as part of my estate. |
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Originally Posted By PSI: This is an opportunity to remind everyone to have a Masonic Will. Let your family know where your stuff is, what it is and what to do with it. I have my dad's things that he purchased or were presented to him as his to keep. They're things like his KYCH jewel and jewels from other honorary bodies, his Past Master and Knight Templar rings and his Past Master, Past High Priest, Past Thrice Illustrious Master aprons and Past Commander's jewel. I use all of them, except I gave our son his PTIM apron when he left the East. My wife and kids know that my Past Grand High Priest and Past Most Illustrious Grand Master jewels go back to the grand office. |
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In MA, the white plain apron you are initiated in is what you are buried in, not any fancier apron you might earn during the years in office. I was told that ours were lambskin. I've attended a degree here in NH and they wear a plain white cloth apron going thru the degrees, so this may differ in different jurisdictions. |
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