# Where the heck is this amulet from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 8, 2008, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964 "2008-10-08T06:37:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Demonica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Demonica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demonica)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/1 "2008-10-08T06:37:04Z")
I have an “egyptian” amulet…my Dad found it in a bag of old coins he bought somewhere. It was horribly tarnished but I managed to get it cleaned up nicely. I wish I knew where it was from and how old it is. Or if it is even valuable at all. This is it: > **[Photo Storage | Photobucket](https://s367.photobucket.com/albums/oo115/Demonica-87/amulet/)** > > Store your photos and videos online with secure storage from Photobucket. Available on iOS, Android and desktop. Securely backup your memories and sign up today! Most of all, I’d like to know who the pharaoh is. The amulet is, i believe, made of brass. It’s a little over an inch in diameter. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![VanillaGorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@VanillaGorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanillaGorilla)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/2 "2008-10-08T08:15:22Z")
That’s a good one, gives +12 to dexterity. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/3 "2008-10-08T09:26:37Z")
What pharaoh? The human figure looks like Ra to me - that’s a god, not a pharaoh. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/4 "2008-10-08T11:41:31Z")
Bes- Fertility god that is a dwarf. Animals are his friends, as is wine and music. He has blended features of a lion. The reverse side is of course the Sphinx. This is my best fit going by characteristics of the Egyptian gods. It’s not because I recognize a certain coin. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/5 "2008-10-08T11:49:49Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Bes- Fertility god that is a dwarf. Animals are his friends, as is wine and music. He has blended features of a lion. > > The reverse side is of course the Sphinx. > > This is my best fit going by characteristics of the Egyptian gods. It’s not because I recognize a certain coin. That isnt [Bes](http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MEPOD/10049677~Bes-Dwarf-God-of-Egypt-Posters.jpg), that is a random pharaoh image with a [Hathor](http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/images/gods_hathor.jpg) head icon of cows horns and solar disc. I would say that from the style, it is one of the myriad of pseudoegyptioan tchatcheke made in the 20s when the tut find was all the rage. ---
**Author:** ![Demonica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Demonica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demonica)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/6 "2008-10-08T15:16:10Z")
I don’t want to give the impression that I thought it was ancient…but if it’s from the 20’s that’s pretty cool. I thought it might be mass produced, because on the sphinx side by the left eye it almost appears…stamped? Like the stamp slipped a bit and made a double impression. Etutretniw: hah! It would be fitting if it was a dwarf, though, being of extremely short stature myself. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/7 "2008-10-08T16:27:55Z")
Unfortunately, it can’t be the [Ever-Evaluating Eye of Surr-Vey](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39683), so you won’t be able to tap into powers of darkest bureaumancy… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/8 "2008-10-08T16:33:33Z")
> [@Demonica](#): > > I don’t want to give the impression that I thought it was ancient…but if it’s from the 20’s that’s pretty cool. I thought it might be mass produced, because on the sphinx side by the left eye it almost appears…stamped? Like the stamp slipped a bit and made a double impression. > > Etutretniw: hah! > > It would be fitting if it was a dwarf, though, being of extremely short stature myself. 🙂 Actually, most coinage and ‘amulets’ tend to be made by stamping, so you get an image on both the front and the back=) though a lot of catholic saint medals are actually cast and have nothing on the back=) There is a ‘style’ in commercial art that can help date a piece, and this one just really screams american mass market ca the Tut craze. Of course you can get some seriously spiffy fake egyptian stuff that is masonic as well. I havent tried transliterating the heiroglypics on the sphinx so it could be copied off something else or random ones put in for the graphic design look. There are book on tutmania out that show lots of the neat mass market goodies that were available, one of them probably has this in it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/9 "2008-10-08T22:36:00Z")
It’s from dat Shakespeare guy! Youse knows–Amulet, da Prince uv Dem Marks! I taut youse smart guys would, like, ya know…know dat. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/10 "2008-10-08T23:40:15Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![Klaus\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@Klaus\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaus_K)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/11 "2008-10-09T12:25:42Z")
> [@Demonica](#): > > It would be fitting if it was a dwarf, though, being of extremely short stature myself. 🙂 Which came first? This could be a curse attached to the amulet. Have you noticed yourself getting any shorter since you acquired it? ---
**Author:** ![Demonica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Demonica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demonica)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-heck-is-this-amulet-from/466964/12 "2008-10-09T14:29:55Z")
A little wider, maybe. 😉