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......