Coincidence or Someone Having Fun? 1 1

[gmarguli]

I have an item on eBay where a buyer was having an issue placing a bid. He contacted customer support and received the following back:

 

 

This is the item, a Germany medal with a Swastika on it.

[Joydeep]

Well....certain terms in the west (unfortunately and everyone knows why it is so) have a negative | supremacist connotation. Being from the Indian Community myself I would like to tell everyone that names like Aryan and Swastika are quite common in our community (especially in the Hindu community). In the east they have a positive implication.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Joydeep

[DWLange]

Until the Nazis adopted that symbol in the 1920s it was seen in many places within the United States as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. It still may be seen on some buildings pre-dating that time.

[zadok]

On 9/27/2021 at 10:09 AM, DWLange said:

Until the Nazis adopted that symbol in the 1920s it was seen in many places within the United States as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. It still may be seen on some buildings pre-dating that time.

absolutely correct...the symbol was prevalent in Native American cultures (Hopi n Navajo) , it is interspersed in the architecture of many bldgs in the Albuquerque area, the courthouse (c.1904) in my county has it inlaid in the mosaic floor...often seen in right facing n left facing depictions (daylite n darkness)....pre-nazi era was an honored symbol.....

[Revenant]

It's always funny when you see someone get confused about seeing that symbol on some pre-20th century piece of Eastern art and people think it's a "Nazi [X]," and it's  like, "No. That sculpture/ image predates the concept of a Nazi. As does the symbol. The fact that it is ancient is part of the reason they co-opted it."

[Fenntucky Mike]

For whatever reason, whenever a swastika is referenced it reminds me of seeing them on the entrance gate of Heinrich Schliemann's home in Athens.

Schliemann is famous for discovering Troy (and destroying a significant amount of it while digging), after unearthing Troy he built a mansion in Athens and above is the main gate with swastikas. Interestingly enough the building is now the home of the Numismatic Museum of Athens, which has one of the most valuable collections of coins and medals in the world. How's that for a tie-in to coins. 

Edited September 29, 2021 by Fenntucky Mike
Spelling

[Henri Charriere]

With votes cast split 50-50, I don't know what to think.  The only question I have is, was @physics-fan3.14 in any way offended, and does this mean MAULEMALL can come back with his hooded horseman coin?        🤔 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Quintus Arrius
Die.polishing (misspelling)

[GoldFinger1969]

On 9/26/2021 at 7:59 PM, Joydeep said:

Well....certain terms in the west (unfortunately and everyone knows why it is so) have a negative | supremacist connotation. Being from the Indian Community myself I would like to tell everyone that names like Aryan and Swastika are quite common in our community (especially in the Hindu community). In the east they have a positive implication.

I knew that from the 1970's TV show "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" 

Horror In The Heights was the episode.

Edited December 11, 2021 by GoldFinger1969

[Hoghead515]

Ive got a vintage Swann Hats token that has a swastika on it. It was meant for good luck. Before the Nazis hijacked it and turned it into something evil. It also has a horseshoe and couple other good luck items on it. If it werent for the swastika it would be a very attractive token. I think it is facing the opposite direction also then the bad one. 

[VKurtB]

On 12/11/2021 at 10:49 PM, Hoghead515 said:

Ive got a vintage Swann Hats token that has a swastika on it. It was meant for good luck. Before the Nazis hijacked it and turned it into something evil. It also has a horseshoe and couple other good luck items on it. If it werent for the swastika it would be a very attractive token. I think it is facing the opposite direction also then the bad one. 

There is a difference between left-handed and right-handed swastikas. Seems a lot of gnashing of teeth for an elementary graphical symbol. Yes, we know what it meant at one point in history, but there was way more history before that than after it. Now I’m led to believe that the “A-OK” hand symbol is now a white supremacist thing. Spare me. And spare yourself the waste of time getting me to care. The “woke” don’t get to define things in my world. Some hand symbols mean things in urban street culture too, and I give even LESS of a rip about them.

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by VKurtB

[Henri Charriere]

@VKurtB  In street gang culture, displaying your membership in a group can be as simple as wearing or displaying your club patch (wearing your "colors") or manipulating your fingers and hands ("throwing signs").  This is pretty serious stuff.  I once wore a red-and-white cap I found which fit perfectly, and was insulted, spat upon, and punched in the face in Midtown. I was mistaken for a Boston Red Sox fan.  I believe most people who display swastikas, whether worn or tattooed, are unaware or uninterested in their long history and do so strictly for their shock value.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Quintus Arrius
Die polishing.

[VKurtB]

On 12/12/2021 at 11:32 AM, Quintus Arrius said:

@VKurtB  In street gang culture, displaying your membership in a group can be as simple as wearing or displaying your club patch (wearing your "colors") or manipulating your fingers and hands ("throwing signs").  This is pretty serious stuff.  I once wore a red-and-white cap I found which fit perfectly, and was insulted, spat upon, and punched in the face in Midtown. I was mistaken for a Boston Red Sox fan.  I believe most people who display swastikas, whether worn or tattooed, are unaware or uninterested in their long history and do so strictly for their shock value.

Quite a few years ago, I was driving south on I-75 in Tennessee on what was, unbeknownst to me, Tennessee vs. Georgia football game Saturday morning. I was wearing a salmon colored shirt, and stopped at Ooltewah, just north of Chattanooga, for fuel. The nastiness between fans that morning ran all the way to running rival fans off the road on I-75, and it seems my salmon shirt looked red to the Vols fans, and orange to the Bulldogs fans. I was challenged at the gas station by fans of BOTH sides. I assured them I was ALL Penn State, all the way. I also reminded them Penn State had a lifetime winning record against the SEC.

[Hoghead515]

Heres the token I was talking about. I was wrong. It is facing the same way as the bad one. I dont think it was intended to mean the same thing as what the Nazis swastika does. I hope not anyways. If I thought it did I wouldnt own it. I collect Ky tokens and its from a hat company in Louisville Ky. I thought the true meaning behind it was good luck. 

[Henri Charriere]

@Hoghead515

I believe it ought to be run on the Token Tuesday thread for wider exposure. There are just so many interesting Good Luck charms featured on it. (I finally found my misplaced Sing Sing prison token. When I ran the two I had, I heard not a peep.)

My only question is why would a hat company feature it on their "token" which does not denote a denomination?  Maybe a memorable advertising card? To your knowledge, are they still in business?  I wonder when they were made? I doubt they were circulated after the 1940'  Nice find!   😉 

[RWB]

Advertising elephants?

[Hoghead515]

On 12/12/2021 at 3:10 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

@Hoghead515

I believe it ought to be run on the Token Tuesday thread for wider exposure. There are just so many interesting Good Luck charms featured on it. (I finally found my misplaced Sing Sing prison token. When I ran the two I had, I heard not a peep.)

My only question is why would a hat company feature it on their "token" which does not denote a denomination?  Maybe a memorable advertising card? To your knowledge, are they still in business?  I wonder when they were made? I doubt they were circulated after the 1940'  Nice find!   😉 

Im not sure if they are still in business or not. I may try to do a search on them. 

[Henri Charriere]

On 12/12/2021 at 3:24 PM, Hoghead515 said:

Im not sure if they are still in business or not. I may try to do a search on them. 

[Believe it or not, there are two mens' hats stores still in business in New York.  I believe some of the old movie theaters on The Deuce (that's 42d Street to you) still have those wire hat racks under their seats.  But the honky-tonk atmosphere is long gone.]   🐓 

[Henri Charriere]

On 12/12/2021 at 3:23 PM, RWB said:

Advertising elephants?

Only you could get away with a comment/question like that!  I'd've been banned for a week.  

[Hoghead515]

I did a quick search. The token is from the 1930s. Found a pic of the building. Couldnt find anything else. May be able if I spent a little time but just done a quick search. 

[Hoghead515]

@Quintus ArriusWhile I was researching it looks like there is/was a Swan Hat Co. in New York. 

[Henri Charriere]

On 12/12/2021 at 3:57 PM, Hoghead515 said:

@Quintus ArriusWhile I was researching it looks like there is/was a Swan Hat Co. in New York. 

Looks like you're right. They spell Swann with one "n".  Nassau County, just over the border from Queens. (I seriously doubt they'd appreciate a discussion on that Swann. I believe they are predominantly Jewish -- and a bit upscale, as is the community.