REC ANTIQUES 41 WW II CUFFLINKS
From: zemedelec@no-spam (Zemedelec)
Date: 13 Jul 2003 20:04:16 GMT

Subject: WW II cufflinks

I picked up a pair of cufflinks at an estate sale yesterday that have me wondering. The man who collected them was a Roman Catholic and collected,
among other theings, WW II memorabilia. They came in the original (I think)
little hinged plastic box, clear above, blue-gray below. They were attached to a piece of cardboard-backed velveteen that I suspect had origninally been the same blue-gray. The oval brass cufflinks, highly polished, are centered by a red matte enamel cross with the crosspiece shorter than the vertical arm. It in turn is centered by a series of three concentric circles upon which are imposed a tiny rendition of the world, and rays coming in 4 places (where the cross arms form an angle) from the central circle. At the bottom of the cross are very tiny capital letters: SPF. Any clues?
zemedelec













From: SmorgassBored@no-spam (Smorgass Bored)
Subject: Re: WW II cufflinks
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 16:32:21 -0400 (EDT)

Hey Z,
In the back of my mind, the letters SPF along with WW II reminded me of Special Police Forces, but I didn't/don't know why.
I did a little poking around in www.google.com and came up with this link;
Address:http://groups.google.com/groups?q=SPF+%2B+S.P.F.+%2B+WWII&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=1991Apr16.012446.29095%40MDI.COM&rnum=1


I don't know if this will help or not, but it might jog someone else's memory...
good luck,
Doug ~>*(((>< Big fish eat Little fish ><)))*<~


From: Mary Bellack (corptech@no-spam)
Subject: Re: WW II cufflinks
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 14:48:30 -0700

Smorgass Bored wrote:
> > Hey Z,
> In the back of my mind, the letters SPF along with WW II reminded me of > Special Police Forces, but I didn't/don't know why.
> I did a little poking around in www.google.com and came up with this > link;
> Address:http://groups.google.com/groups?q=SPF+%2B+S.P.F.+%2B+WWII&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=1991Apr16.012446.29095%40MDI.COM&rnum=1

> > I don't know if this will help or not, but it might jog someone else's > memory...
> good luck,
> > Doug > ~>*(((>< Big fish eat Little fish ><)))*<~
> Interesting. When I googled, I came up with this:

<http://www.americansaints.homestead.com/files/Sheen.htm>

which references (about half-way through the article) a television program with the SPF (Society for the Propagation of the Faith) logo in the background.
Perhaps worth some more digging.

Mary

From: "Kris Baker" (kris.baker@no-spam)
Subject: Re: WW II cufflinks
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 22:00:20 GMT

"Mary Bellack" <corptech@no-spam> wrote in message news:3F11D3AE.E304B6A5@no-spam >
>
> Smorgass Bored wrote:
> >
> > Hey Z,
> > In the back of my mind, the letters SPF along with WW II reminded > > me of Special Police Forces, but I didn't/don't know why.

> which references (about half-way through the article) a television > program with the SPF (Society for the Propagation of the Faith) logo in > the background.
>
> Perhaps worth some more digging.
>
> Mary
Ahhh...I'm not the only one who loves a mystery.

When *I* googled, I came up with some links that cross-matched "Red Cross" and "South Pacific Forum/Federation".

What we need is an image of the item (posted to a website,
URL noted here of course).

The OP notes that the earth is pictured, but often, the relevant view of the earth is what counts. Kind of like when you travel,
and they show the earth from a different point when giving the weather forecasts. ;) Whatever SPF is, they have something to do with the Red Cross OR a religion, the earth, and those three links....which may resemble IOOF logos?
http://www.ioof.nl/block.html
Kris

Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 17:01:28 -0500
From: Gerald Clough (clough@no-spam)
Subject: Re: WW II cufflinks

Zemedelec wrote:
> I picked up a pair of cufflinks at an estate sale yesterday that have me > wondering. The man who collected them was a Roman Catholic and collected,
> among other theings, WW II memorabilia. They came in the original (I think)
> little hinged plastic box, clear above, blue-gray below. They were attached to
> a piece of cardboard-backed velveteen that I suspect had origninally been the > same blue-gray. The oval brass cufflinks, highly polished, are centered by a > red matte enamel cross with the crosspiece shorter than the vertical arm. It > in turn is centered by a series of three concentric circles upon which are > imposed a tiny rendition of the world, and rays coming in 4 places (where the > cross arms form an angle) from the central circle. At the bottom of the cross
> are very tiny capital letters: SPF. Any clues?
> zemedelec
Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Look about 1/3 down the page:

http://www.dsj.org/mission/missdsj.htm
-- Gerald Clough clough@no-spam "Nothing has any value, unless you know you can give it up."


From: "Kris Baker" (kris.baker@no-spam)
Subject: Re: WW II cufflinks
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 22:19:58 GMT

"Gerald Clough" <clough@no-spam> wrote in message news:3F11D6B8.8060804@no-spam >
> Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Look about 1/3 down the page:
>
> http://www.dsj.org/mission/missdsj.htm >
> -- > Gerald Clough > clough@no-spam > "Nothing has any value, unless you know you can give it up."

50 points for you!

I didn't picture it that way, at all.

Kris

From: Mary Bellack (corptech@no-spam)
Subject: Re: WW II cufflinks
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 17:12:32 -0700

Kris Baker wrote:
> > "Gerald Clough" <clough@no-spam> wrote in message > news:3F11D6B8.8060804@no-spam > >
> > Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Look about 1/3 down the page:
> >
> > http://www.dsj.org/mission/missdsj.htm > >
> > --
> > Gerald Clough > > clough@no-spam > > "Nothing has any value, unless you know you can give it up."
> > 50 points for you!
> > I didn't picture it that way, at all.

Well, if we're on a roll, does anyone have any ideas about this?

<http://home.netcom.com/~corptech/pendant.jpg>

The initials on the back are either those of my grandmother or my grandfather (either AWB or AMB) ... So sex doesn't help. Time period,
let's say between 1890 and 1935. Place - Wisconsin. He owned a clothing store and had an interest in a cannery. Took a flyer in the automobile business. She was a member of the DAR... (thankfully, she resigned). Neither was college educated. She taught school about 1880
- 1890.
I don't know if this signifies membership in a club or if it's of the "sealed with a kiss" variety of mysterious letter combinations. Also, I don't even know where to start reading the letters...

Long time real-life minor mystery.

Mary

Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 20:09:52 -0500
From: Gerald Clough (clough@no-spam)
Subject: Re: WW II cufflinks

Mary Bellack wrote:
> > Kris Baker wrote:
> >>"Gerald Clough" <clough@no-spam> wrote in message >>news:3F11D6B8.8060804@no-spam >>
>>>Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Look about 1/3 down the page:
>>>
>>>http://www.dsj.org/mission/missdsj.htm >>>
>>>--
>>> Gerald Clough >>> clough@no-spam >>>"Nothing has any value, unless you know you can give it up."
>>
>>50 points for you!
>>
>>I didn't picture it that way, at all.
> > > > > Well, if we're on a roll, does anyone have any ideas about this?
> > <http://home.netcom.com/~corptech/pendant.jpg>
> > The initials on the back are either those of my grandmother or my > grandfather (either AWB or AMB) ... So sex doesn't help. Time period,
> let's say between 1890 and 1935. Place - Wisconsin. He owned a > clothing store and had an interest in a cannery. Took a flyer in the > automobile business. She was a member of the DAR... (thankfully, she > resigned). Neither was college educated. She taught school about 1880
> - 1890.
> I don't know if this signifies membership in a club or if it's of the > "sealed with a kiss" variety of mysterious letter combinations. Also, I > don't even know where to start reading the letters...
> > Long time real-life minor mystery.
> > Mary
He was a Mason, York Rite, to be specific. Whatever the letters, KSHEWSST, stand for is supposed to be very mysterious.

-- Gerald Clough clough@no-spam "Nothing has any value, unless you know you can give it up."


Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 20:30:14 -0500
From: Gerald Clough (clough@no-spam)
Subject: Re: WW II cufflinks

Ronnie McKinley wrote:
> In rec.antiques Gerald Clough <clough@no-spam> wrote:
> > > >>He was a Mason, York Rite, to be specific. Whatever the letters, >>KSHEWSST, stand for is supposed to be very mysterious.
> > > > Gerald, how did you know to start the cryptogram at the letter K if it's > so very mysterious? :)

I just looked at it, and it seemed to be designed to begin reading at the K. I was prepared to rotate the series through different starting points, if that didn't work.

(And not ten years Senior Investigator - Detective Chief Inspector, to you - for nothing. Which is to say that starting with K was mainly dumb luck, which is a far more potent element in criminal investigation than most people would guess.)

What I didn't see explained was whether or not one ever reached such arid heights in the Rite that someone let you in on what the letters stood for. Maybe the ultimate revelation was that no one knew.

-- Gerald Clough clough@no-spam "Nothing has any value, unless you know you can give it up."