I’m sure all the Dopers have seen those machines at some of our finest tourist areas that take a penny and create a souvenir by basically striking a new image on the penny. My son got one in change yesterday that is a twist on that theme. This penny is now ‘cupped’, and within the cup is the ‘square and compass’ logo of the Masons. The other side has what appears to be a plumb bob, also a Masons logo. It clearly was a normal penny as the verbiage around the edges can still be read, though it’s faint. Do you think this will gain me admittance to the Masons? Should I start making plans for world domination? Has anyone else ever seen one of these?
Masonic pennies were struck by each chapter, and come in a variety of forms. Some were made from US pennies, such as yours, and others were custom made tokens. They were a traditional gift to new members who are recieved into membership “poor and penniless”, which were carried in the pocket at all times to remind them of their responsibilities as a Mason. They are available on eBay all the time, and as you can see, there are many different types, and some of them have a modest collectible value. The one in this auction, (pictured on the right) sounds a lot like your penny
Fear Itself,
By golly, you are absolutely right, it looks just like the one I have. If you can buy them on E-Bay, I guess I can forget about the world dominance thing. I’ll start watching for Illiminati related items.
fandj
