Fine Online Estate Sale Auction, Private Residence Honey Brook, PA
Lot 44:
Description
An assortment of American fraternal medals and related ephemera primarily associated with the Scottish Rite and Knights Templar Masonic orders. The lot belonged to J. Lewis Callahan and includes items from both Massachusetts and Pennsylvania chapters. The collection includes a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Consistory medal featuring a red silk ribbon, a gold-toned top bar marked SP 32 RS, and a silver-toned double-headed eagle suspending a circular medallion with a black cross patée. The medallion is inscribed Connecticut Valley Consistory Springfield, Mass. A pair of Knights of Malta Maltese cross medals are present, constructed from gold-toned metal with white enamel and embossed eagle centers, suspended from black ribbons. Also included is an ornate gold-toned Knights Templar cross with a red textured center and a triangular suspension bar featuring the Masonic Square and Compasses marked No 55 K.T.
The ephemera consists of two paper dues receipts from the Centennial Commandery No. 55 Knights Templar in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The receipts are issued to Sir Knight J. Lewis Callahan, dated March 22, 1934, and March 26, 1936, both signed by recorder A. Raymond Mullen. The items are accompanied by two black leatherette folding cases. The lot is housed in a repurposed military olive-drab metal storage box with a lid embossed MODEL OF 1916.
Condition report:
The collection is in good vintage condition. The medals show minor surface oxidation and light tarnishing consistent with age. Ribbons exhibit light fraying and fading. The enamel on the Maltese crosses is largely intact. Paper ephemera shows typical age-related toning and minor edge wear but remains fully legible. One leatherette case shows significant peeling and wear along the hinge and edges. The metal storage box has extensive surface wear, paint loss, and oxidation to the exterior.
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