Sorrority pin. Totem pole and ring help

[Turbo21]

First I have this 10k sorrority pin. I believe it's from 1900-1925. It has seed pearls and a small emerald.

Beta delta phi is the name of the sorrority. I can find almost nothing online regarding this pin. None are in the eBay completed listings. Trying to see if it has a premium as a pin versus just scrapping it. Another pin I got at the same time and same era should bring close to $200

What are your thoughts ??





Next is this sterling totem pole pin. The small shield says for freedom. And the back of the totem says totem pole Alaska. Thinking the shield is military related?? Can't find anything on this one



Last is this ring. Looks like it held precious stones at one point. It has fancy etching on the side that is pretty worn. 18k acid does not affect the streak on the stone at all. I don't have anymore 22k acid.
No markings. And has some weight. Is it really 18k white gold? It feels good on the stone. If you test jewlery a lot you know what I mean

 

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[mcl]

It would be disappointing and honestly an awful shame for you to scrap such an uncommon pin like that.

 

[nhbenz]

The thing connected to the totem pole has the distinctive unit insignia of the 37th Infantry Regiment
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/37th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

 

[tamrock]

Maybe that ring is platinum. I have an old sorority pin with seed pearls like this one. I'll go dig for it later, but it's very similar to yours if I recall.

 

[Anduril]

The thing connected to the totem pole has the distinctive unit insignia of the 37th Infantry Regiment
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/37th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

Per NHB'z link: The age would be no earlier than January 1941. (So, likely WW-II)?

•Shield: Azure a fess wavy, in chief a mullet both Argent.
•Motto FOR FREEDOM.
•Shield: This Regiment was organized at Fort Sam Houston in 1916 and served along the Rio Grande during its first years.
The shield is blue for Infantry, with a wavy fess to denote the Rio Grande and the lone star of Texas.
•Background: The coat of arms was approved on 19 January 1921. It was amended to add the motto on 8 January 1941.

 

[Turbo21]

Per NHB'z link: The age would be no earlier than January 1941. (So, likely WW-II)?

•Shield: Azure a fess wavy, in chief a mullet both Argent.
•Motto FOR FREEDOM.
•Shield: This Regiment was organized at Fort Sam Houston in 1916 and served along the Rio Grande during its first years.
The shield is blue for Infantry, with a wavy fess to denote the Rio Grande and the lone star of Texas.
•Background: The coat of arms was approved on 19 January 1921. It was amended to add the motto on 8 January 1941.

Thanks for the info. Strange to see a Texas regiment have a totem pole and Alaska attached to it ??

 

[Keith Jackson]

Thanks for the info. Strange to see a Texas regiment have a totem pole and Alaska attached to it ??

Well, from the link from nhbenz above:

"Activated 1 August 1941 at Unalaska, Alaska (Headquarters and Headquarters Company only, other elements previously activated in the United States). "

 

[JonG]

In my experience Sorority/Fraternity pins seem to bring more if they're engraved on the reverse with a name, date, initials, etc. If they're from a well known group, the collectors go crazy for them.

Here's a good website, and they may be able to assist you.

http://www.fratpin.com/


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[Turbo21]

In my experience Sorority/Fraternity pins seem to bring more if they're engraved on the reverse with a name, date, initials, etc. If they're from a well known group, the collectors go crazy for them.

Here's a good website, and they may be able to assist you.

http://www.fratpin.com/


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Thanks Jon

The pin I asked about isn't listed on their site. But the other pin I posted in the other thread is listed there. I sent them an email asking if they wanted to buy it. Let's see how it goes

 

[cw0909]

nice pins and ring
i looked here for the sorority pin, didnt see it,maybe join site and sell it
https://www.rubylane.com/search?q=sorority pin

some of the eternity bands here look like yours,cant see yours that well
have a look Displaying 1 - 30 of 603
https://www.rubylane.com/search?q=eternity+band+rings

 

[Breezie]

Your Greek sorority pin is Beta Delta Phi, which is a sorority at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. SHU is Catholic university that was established in 1963. I couldn't find any other college or university where Beta Delta Phi was a national sorority.

I think this sorority pin is probably from the 1970's judging by how it is made and by the fact that SHU was established in 1963. This pin is made almost identical to my Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority pin, which is black onyx surrounded by pearls and set in 10K gold. Mine also has a 'guard' located on the end of the chain. Guard chains were usually on sorority pins of Officers.

In my sorority, the sorority pin was very sacred and was to be buried with the owner or returned to the National order. The Greek loyalist were/are trying to keep the sorority pins out of the hands on non-member, thus the price has skyrocketed.

The owner's initials, and year date of her initiation should be on the back of the pin. I'm sure she would love to have it back, but that decision is up to you.


Breezie



https://alumni.sacredheart.edu/betascholarship[SIZE=+3][SIZE=+1][/SIZE][/SIZE]

 

[Turbo21]

Your Greek sorority pin is Beta Delta Phi, which is a sorority at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. SHU is Catholic university that was established in 1963. I couldn't find any other college or university where Beta Delta Phi was a national sorority.

I think this sorority pin is probably from the 1970's judging by how it is made and by the fact that SHU was established in 1963. This pin is made almost identical to my Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority pin, which is black onyx surrounded by pearls and set in 10K gold. Mine also has a 'guard' located on the end of the chain. Guard chains were usually on sorority pins of Officers.

In my sorority, the sorority pin was very sacred and was to be buried with the owner or returned to the National order. The Greek loyalist were/are trying to keep the sorority pins out of the hands on non-member, thus the price has skyrocketed.

The owner's initials, and year date of her initiation should be on the back of the pin. I'm sure she would love to have it back, but that decision is up to you.


Breezie

View attachment 1355524

https://alumni.sacredheart.edu/betascholarship[SIZE=+3][SIZE=+1][/SIZE][/SIZE]

Breezie

Thanks for the info

This pin is blank on the back. But the other one I have does have initials and a date

 

[tamrock]

In my experience Sorority/Fraternity pins seem to bring more if they're engraved on the reverse with a name, date, initials, etc. If they're from a well known group, the collectors go crazy for them.

Here's a good website, and they may be able to assist you.

Fraternity Pins, Sorority Pins for sale! Fraternity pin, alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, pi Phi rho


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Cool Website! JonG. I dug out the few sorority pins I have. All are 10K and 3 out of the 4 have writing on the back. I'm sure they are the pieces of gold I find here and there in antique store as I travel the road in my job and I will hardly ever pay more then spot on gold jewelry with some exceptions. I have payed well over spot on some sterling pieces of very desired silversmith before.

 

[Turbo21]

Cool Website! JonG. I dug out the few sorority pins I have. All are 10K and 3 out of the 4 have writing on the back. I'm sure they are the pieces of gold I find here and there in antique store as I travel the road in my job and I will hardly ever pay more then spot on gold jewelry with some exceptions. I have payed well over spot on some sterling pieces of very desired silversmith before.

You have the same arrow Pin as me. But yours has rubies. That one sells for around $200+

 

[tamrock]

You have the same arrow Pin as me. But yours has rubies. That one sells for around $200+

Really!

 

[Turbo21]

Really!

Yes sir. Check the eBay completed listings. You would be surprised at what the frat and sorrority pins go for

 

[mcl]

Your Greek sorority pin is Beta Delta Phi, which is a sorority at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. SHU is Catholic university that was established in 1963. I couldn't find any other college or university where Beta Delta Phi was a national sorority.

I think this sorority pin is probably from the 1970's judging by how it is made and by the fact that SHU was established in 1963. This pin is made almost identical to my Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority pin, which is black onyx surrounded by pearls and set in 10K gold. Mine also has a 'guard' located on the end of the chain. Guard chains were usually on sorority pins of Officers.

In my sorority, the sorority pin was very sacred and was to be buried with the owner or returned to the National order. The Greek loyalist were/are trying to keep the sorority pins out of the hands on non-member, thus the price has skyrocketed.

Turbo21, I didn't want to overwhelm you with information in my first post, but now that Breezie has given a bit of introduction from "those in the know", I feel a bit more comfortable giving additional information for you to consider.

In an internet search, I also found the sorority posted by Breezie, however, that sorority was very small and no longer exists. I'm not convinced that it existed for very long or that it was a "national" sorority (i.e., existed at any other university). That's not to say that it can't be from that particular sorority -- just that there is a very narrow window of time and geographic space where that would have made sense. Now, there are a lot of other issues to consider here:

1. While unlikely, the pin may not be from a sorority, but rather, a fraternity. The only case where this makes sense of course is if this is what is known as a "sweetheart pin", i.e., a special type of pin that is purchased to give to one's female significant other instead of one of more personal significance (e.g., one's "pledge pin"). Again this is unlikely, but something worth considering. As an example, there was a fraternity at the University of Minnesota with those letters in the 1920s.

2. This pin may not be from a sorority or a fraternity, but a collegiate national honors society. Fraternities and sororities are not the only organizations which use Greek letter dyad/triads. College level honor societies, usually focused on specific majors/disciplines, also use them and often have their own apparel/memorabilia/regalia. As an example, as recently as 2013 there was a biology honors society with the letters "ΒΔΦ", as can be seen in this Queens College newsletter pdf.

3. As mentioned before, this may be from a one-off, local sorority. This would make it very difficult to trace the organization, especially if it is now defunct. As an example, there is a one-off fraternity at Iowa State University called "Adelante".

4. The letters on this pin may signify a "fraternity within a fraternity" or a "sorority within a sorority", and be virtually untraceable except if recognized by a member of the parent Greek organization. Many sororities and fraternities have internal, special "orders" with their own Greek letters for which one's membership represents a special achievement or position within the fraternity or sorority. These are usually regarded as "secret" and known only to the members, but often come with special pins and certificates awarded to the qualifying individual.

5. Finally, the letter attached by the chain could prove useful in identifying the pin's geographic origin or owner. While the letter attachment can range in meaning from completely personal (chosen by the owner from hundreds of charms) to broad and generic (all owners got the same charm), a letter sometimes signifies either the chapter of the sorority/fraternity (in this case, "Iota", if I'm seeing it correctly) or the name of the owner (e.g., "Irene"). It could also be meaningless, or combined with the shape of the main pin, meant to signify "I ♥ ΒΔΦ".

If you want to be sure of the ID of this piece, a good place to start would be by contacting the Greek Affairs office at Sacred Heart University and seeing if they can put you in contact with an alum of ΒΔΦ or some individual otherwise familiar with it.

-mcl