ebay items
 

I'm not sure of the best way to notify any interested Thetas of "hidden" items on eBay, but I thought someone might be interested:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190211215308

:-)

Thanks, kappa2!

So frustrating not to have better pictures of the crest on the items. They look interesting.... thanks for the head's up!

Not much time left on this one, and it is up to $467.

Badge with opals: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ksid=p3907.m29

kaokite... is this one that would interest you? :)

WOW!! That is a beautiful pin! Would love to know if there is any history or information on the pin's age....

Yay, kaokite won it!

The badge is gorgeous. kaokite, if you know/learn any history of that badge, please share. I never knew opals were ever an option.... what a unique piece of jewelry to have in your collection.

Enjoy!

Sorry to crash, but that is one fantastic pin! The sister who had it originally must have been a special girl to have diamonds and opals!

And kaokite won the interesting bracelets & pin, too!! YEAH! I wanted to bid, but with the bids all secret, I did not want not to bid against another Theta. GOOD WORK!

Check out this oldie


On another note, I am looking to get a nicer badge soon, hopefully one with emeralds. Does anyone know the difference between small and large crown?

I am *pretty* sure that the badge itself is exactly the same size. The border around the badge is wider & the stones might be a bit larger on the large crown. I know that the stones are set differently, so they sit up higher & look larger.

Hi ladies,

so a) i got the opals/diamonds badge on Thursday. it is MOST FANTASTIC. Unfortunately someone polished the engraving off the back, so there is zero information about where it came from. I am going to write the seller, but typically they have little to zero info. It has had some work done in the past-I think the pin & catch are replacements, so this could be older than it appears. I would guesstimate it as 1901-1910. I originally had thought I had a 'twin' for this one in pearls dated 1907, but turns out they are totally different..

b) Unlike other NPC groups, we have no restriction on gemstones you can get on your badge. the trick is if the jeweler actually has the stones to put in!! A few years ago I had a badge with no pin or catch (someone had cut them off to use it as a charm). I had the jeweler solder them back on, but when you hot solder gold, it burns the pearls.. So I got to replace them.. Burr Patt had some amethysts, so i had a purple badge. It was BEAUTIFUL. I ended up selling it to a collegian from Beta Gamma ~3 years later as she was badge-less and I have just a few too many.. :) Our current jeweler stocks red/blue/green/pink/turquoise stones, but i bet if you call they may have something else. Years ago my husband had a special order badge made for me (not by the fraternity jeweler).. PM me if you want more info..

c) small vs. large crown.. they are actually different physical sizes. there's no difference in how the stones are physically set. the small is 7/8" in length, the large is 1& 1/16", but don't quote me on the larger size-I only know the exact measurement of the small.. The enamel in the middle of the small is VERY small-actually it is smaller than the standard plain badge 'cause the std plain and the small crown are the same size outline, but the plain doesn't have to cram in the stones around the edge. does this make sense? the large crown uses the enamel from the plain badge and then adds the stones around the edge.

Hope this helps!

Junky items on ebay...
 

Hi ladies,

so there's a number of pieces of jewelry that have shown up on ebay lately with the theta coat-of-arms on them from the same seller. If you read the fine print in the listing, you realize they aren't even silver.. they are silver colored metal (probably chromed or nickle-plated base metal) that someone has stuck a COA on..

About 6 months ago, there were a number of "new old stock" COA pieces sold, and I suspect that these loose COA's were used to create the vintage looking items..

the last one went for over $200. IMHO that buyer got totally ripped!

Beware. Read all the fine print and don't get seduced by the photos. This is how I ended up purchasing a 'mini recognition pin' about 9 years ago when I was just starting on ebay.. I failed to read the listing and only looked at the photos, which conveniently did not include anything next to the pin so I could judge the size.. I was kind of peeved when it showed up in the mail, but it was my fault for not doing the due-diligence on the listing.

Katie-

THANK YOU so much for the head's up!! I would probably have gotten interested in that auction!

I also bought a teeny tiny little pin that looks like an old badge several years ago... had no idea it was not a badge when I bought it! Live & learn....

Theta Pledge Pin?

I don't know why someone would pay that much for a pledge pin......

That pledge pin looks like the black might be enamel inlay? If so, that's certainly not what mine looked like. :-) Maybe that's why the bidding is high. . .(total conjecture)

Katy?

It looks really old. I HATE that Ebay now hides the bidder IDs. No idea if HQ or other Thetas are bidding on it or not.

So the pledge pin in question is older (the current ones have a one piece pin & catch attached in the center of thel square vs separate like this ). To clarify, I'm meaning 1990s or earlier, not 'older'=1920's.

All pledge pins are gold w/the black enamel inset into the black square, though i think these days the 'enamel' is more like a black paint or some kind of black epoxy. this one looks a little defective in that the enamel is not flat w/the surface of the pin-I'm wondering if that is just a camera artifact?

re: sale price....realistically this is a VERY high price for a pledge pin (the cost to a chapter is ~$12 or so), but not the highest they've sold for in the last year.. Most collectors already have one-i think it's just thetas doing the bidding. Certain members are very passionate about seeing Theta stuff on ebay, and just keep bidding regardless of the cost.

Hey all,

Just wanted to post a reminder about ebay. As a bidder you should make sure to follow the 'buyer beware' principle. When bidding on any item (esp jewelry), read the description very carefully. if it does not say "old"/"antique"/"vintage", it is NEW. If it does not say "10K" or "14K" or "sterling" it is base metal or plate. Do not get distracted by lots of other text in the listing. The description of the item is critical!

There are a number of un-ethical sellers right now trying to pass of goods they have manufactured or 'married' together. If you see glue residue around edges/corners, or if you see different shades of metal, be suspicious!

I hate to see Thetas spending money on something that will dissapoint you once it comes out of the mailing envelope.

-K

Thank you so much for the warning!! It can be hard to evaluate items from pictures, especially for amateurs like me!

So, I am still crying over losing this auction last night. I was able to submit what I thought would be a really competitive bid (told husband to make it my birthday and/or Christmas gift) and had been looking forward to placing that bid all week. However, seconds after placing my bid, the winning bid of $1325 was placed, and that was more than I could justify spending.

The badge is from 1944, has opals, and is larger than our standard badge. The "points" on the badge are also slight variations. I am not sure when they stopped putting opals in the badge, but I suspect is was long, long ago.

Kaokite, please tell me that you were the high bidder? Even if you weren't the winner, can you at least provide any inisights that you have on this badge? It is just gorgeous, and I had so hoped to wear it to Founders Day and convention next year. Instead I now hope that you or another Theta get to proudly wear it. While I am glad that it wasn't melted, thrown away, etc, I am sad to think that it will just be displayed in a box with other random Greek badges and not actually worn by someone.


http://i.ebayimg.com/11/!BbW3bzgBmk~...u8L+g~~_35.JPG

That badge is stunning. I'm sorry you weren't able to win it. I can't believe it went for $1325!

Wow!! That is really beautiful! I would love to know more about this badge, too... Let's just hope that a Theta won it.

Sorry to crash but I saw this badge too...absolutely gorgeous. Do they still make them with the long tip at the bottom? I guess I had never seen one like that and the opals were just stunning.

Not a Theta myself, but I was browsing ebay for a birthday gift for a friend and came across this badge:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Small-Kappa-Alph...d=p3286.c0.m14

Just wanted to give you guys up, so you can try to prevent a collector grabbing it ..

Wow. That looks like a lost Grand Council badge. The Fraternity Vice President Education wears an opal badge. I wonder if this is one that was lost a few years ago? I do hope whomever won it is a Theta! I know that there are several Theta collectors who bid on ebay so hopefully they got it.

Here is the description that appeared on ebay:

Absolutely superb 1944 Kappa Alpha Theta 14K gold sorority pin with enamel, opals and diamonds. No chips, cracks, missing stones. I rarely see fraternal pins of this quality. Measures 30mm tall by 20mm wide and weighs 5.3 grams.


The seller is in Terre Haute, IN.

Outing myself... I was bidding also. I thought my bid would take it, but I was outbid in the last four seconds, by only $25.

am reluctant to say more, b/c this is an open forum. would like to take this private...PM me

ps.... heartsick. Please let it be in Theta hands. Amy, does the Fraternity have any record of the details of the "lost" badge? There are many details about this one that the seller posted, including very clear pictures of the engraving on the back.

It was "only $25" however, who knows how much their max bid was. Could have been $2K. Who knows?

At least that is how I am comforting myself.

Crashing too but wow, the 1944 badge is incredible! I also hope that a Theta is the proud new owner, she would get a LOT of enjoyment out of that badge!

How in the world do these ebay sellers find so many badges, especially such unique ones? Are they just trolling antique shops? I know many orgs have their own groups that hunt for badges (Kappa has the Keepers of the Key), I wonder how many they've saved from going to ebay and the like.

good question. I'd like to know. I suspect that many sellers "haunt" estate sales, auctions, etc. Some parts of the country have more "vintage" items, due to a variety of factors.

I'm hoping against hope that the buyer renegs and it becomes a "second chance" item, unless (of course) a Theta was the successful buyer. Speculation is silly, I know, but I sure would like to learn the provenance of that badge. Have to wonder...

theta sisters, PM me

Or Staff archivist reports that this badge is NOT one of the lost Grand Council badges. Those badges were from the 1890s and this badge, while beautiful and certainly an antique, is newer. The Dyer badges (with the elongated points) were made by a Jeweler in Indiana so it probably belonged to a Theta in Indiana or someone with an Indiana connection.

Well, it is at least nice to know a little more about what that badge was NOT. Thank you so much for the research, Amy!

This badge came from a member of the Gamma chapter @ Butler University, so there's the Indiana connection. The seller was from Terre Haute IN.

Thank you to Amy, and to our archivist at HQ, for your research and followup.

Pardon the crash, I'm not a Theta but I happened to see the badge on ebay and it was indeed gorgeous. The name engraved on the back was Maxine Smith, in addition to Gamma [chapter] and '44. Often the pictures on ebay do not have that high a resolution and you can't read the engraving on the back of a badge.

I assume I'm not divulging anything inappropriate as the ebay listing was obviously in an open forum. Just thought someone might know/be interested in the original owner. . .

Let this be a lesson to us Thetas.....please have written instructions regarding your pins following your death. If it is to go to another Theta or to a chapter, please state this in writing somewhere. If it is to be sent to HQ, please place this in writing somewhere (which is what I have done in my will because it is that important to me).


Otherwise sisters, pins will continue to end up on eBay and estate sales. I'm all for the purchasing/selling/collecting of pins between other Thetas but it hurts me and makes me quite irritated to keep seeing our beautiful badges on eBay (especially today since i just watched my chapter initiate our new members last night and got a "ritual refresher").

Amen, ThetaPrincess24.

I attended Initiation at a chapter on Saturday, and reflected on how badges could be lovingly used in chapters, as honors for outstanding new members, for scholarship, etc. The actives love to look at my badge and hear me talk about my own initiation.

And the historic badges ... our Archives certainly are a fitting repository. When we study our history, and the history of our badge, it becomes all too painful to think of where badges are going on Ebay.

Stay tuned, Thetas.

This can't be said enough.

I have it stated in my will that my three badges (I have purchased 2 vintage pearl badges on ebay) are to go to three of my Theta friends. When I mentioned to my friends that they were in my will they seemed surprised that I was doing this, but then flattered that I thought of them. It was also a great opportunity for me to remind them that they should also make provision for their badges.

Each friend also promised to return the badge to my daughter should she one day pledge Theta.

I also put the reminder at least once a year in our alumnae chapter newsletter. We have several 75 year Thetas in our area, and a bunch of 50 year Thetas, who have received special recognition pins from HQ. I would hate for either their badge or recognition pin to wind up at Estate sales.