Featured Please help this non-catholic?

I'm back to sorting through the boxes and have found several religious items. I'll start with this one.

It fits in the sweet little leather pouch.

It kind of feels like pewter, it seems to test for silver (although I'm a self professed newbie at testing), but has no marks I can find.

The "pages" turn easily, it feels well made and "vintage". It's in the accumulation from someone born around 1900-1905.

Any help with what it is, how it's worn and used, and it's age, would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

 

I have heard of these, but have never seen one. It's really lovely. Try looking it up under Holy Family iconography. Sorry to be so unhelpful!

And it may be silver, but it also may be pewter. Try polishing a bit.

 

Sort of like a combo-pack of Miraculous Medals? (Sorry if that offends anyone.)

 

Thanks @silverthwaite II. I lightly polished it with a sunshine cloth and used a leather moisturizer on the pouch.

Do you know what it is?

 

They generally call them four in one medals or the like. This one looks like it's meant to be a watch chain and fob or something similar. I'm a Baptist, btw, so my terminology may be a bit off.

 

...watch fob/chain makes sense @evelyb30 ....there were several others in this collection. Here are a couple of them...

 

Bingo. Is that elephant a synthetic, or the "usual material"?

 

I don't know @evelyb30. I need to read up on how to tell the difference between you know what and bone. I'm pretty sure it's not synthetic. It's very sweet

 

Those chains look more like chatelaines than watch fob chains

 

Again showing my lack of knowledge on the subject, but were chatelaines always worn by women @Bev aka thelmasstuff ? This group is from a mans jewelry collection. Admittedly, he was fancy....

 

The others are definitely watch chains. The four in one was definitely meant to hook onto something, and a watch is my best guess.

 

I sold one today. Mine was badly worn. It's silver plated copper.
I imagine it could hang from a necklace, watch fob, key chain or anything else one carries.

 

I found another on etsy. She says hers is from 1830, because that is the date under
Mary.




I don't believe this is correct. I was guessing mine to be from the 1940s, because of the other medals and items mine came with.

Hers is also badly worn and appears to be silver plated brass.
Yours is the nicest that I have seen.


Scroll down. Hers is a little different and does appear to be older than yours or mine. (Mine was just like yours, except no chain and badly worn)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/287299613/antique-catholic-my-companion-medal

 

It looks like bone, so that would be ok.

As you thought 1830 is not the date of manufacture. It the date of the miraculous vision of that particular manifestation of Mary. It is 'Saint Mary of the Miraculous Medal', also called Mary of Rue du Bac (Paris, France) and our Lady of all Nations.
This Mary appeared to Catherine Labouré in a vision in 1830, a time when popular Catholicism was very important. This is one of the Marys with high appeal to those who adhere to popular Catholicism. She is beautiful and the rays that shine from her arms are a sign of heavenly grace.
Popular Catholicism is a people's movement in Catholicism. Its roots are to be found in pre-Christian worship, and it involves visions by common people, and pilgrimages to sites where the visions took place. It often inspires wonderful expressions of folklore, but also borrows from Catholic theology, especially the more mystical side of theology. Christian mystical symbols are often explained very differently in popular Catholicism. The official church is usually very doubtful of all this, since it has little control over the movement, but benefits from the fact that it keeps people going to church.
This graceful statue in the chapel in the Rue du Bac was made after Catherine's description:


More explanation about the symbolism on the medal, from the viewpoint of popular Catholicism:
http://www.chapellenotredamedelamed...sh/apparitions-et-la-medaille-miraculeuse-gb/

 

There is no set iconography for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, but this is the first time I've seen her with a handbag.
No offense intended, I am a great fan of the Carmelite order. But I guess Mary with a handbag is where the popular movement and the theologian (yours truly) definitely part ways.

 

They still make those multi part medals, says this rather lapsed Catholic.

 

We had raccoons on the roof all night last night. We had to put out lab down Monday, and now we just have a little mutt street dog with a silly bark that the raccoons clearly don't take seriously. I got up around 2am and slept intermittently in my chair trying to keep said dog quiet so my dh could get up this morning and go to work. Sooooo....I'm punchy .

Thank you so much for all the information @Any Jewelry. Fascinating. I'm going to reread it all when my brain is firing on all cylinders! It explains so much and gives me a better appreciation for what I'm looking at.

In the same collection there were two beautiful old rosaries. One is marked France, do I suspect he went to France and brought the medal he me as a souvenir. That explains why it's in such pristine condition. It was probably never/seldom worn.

The non-French rosary looks and feels used. The French one not so much.

Thank you again!!!

 

That's pretty funny. Maybe that's where she carried her medals?

 

Thanks @clutteredcloset49! 40's would probably make sense for this one too. Silver plated brass makes sense too. This one is in remarkably good condition. Like I just said in my reply to @Any Jewelry, I suspect he bought it as a souvenir and rarely wore/used it. Since I can't see the Etsy listing price now this it's sold, would you mind sharing your price? I'm gathering info so I can have all my ducks in a row once I start selling... thanks again!

Ps: did yours have the little leather pouch?