Antique Religious Crucifix

Here's all the religious medals we found in a three day hunt. All in pretty nice condition, and very few are alike. They're made of different medals, a couple are silver.

The crosses have very detailed designs. The one on the right Carol found and a thin chain was laying with it.

Old antique crucifixThe back of the brass one has CZECHOSLOVAKIA stamped on it, and the other has the complete Our Father prayer.

It's amazing that we found so many in just a couple of days. Most were really deep. But why were there so many there? Did the beach once belong to a Catholic church? Or did the whole church picnic there every year for years?

Old Methodist Pin

Another shirt pin. This one was found by Carol on the incline of a bank at an old beach. The little pin is missing on the back, but there is a small cross and it says LITTLE SYSTEM. Through the cross it says trust and grow. It also seems like there was something hanging from it, that has broken off. I wonder what the S S stands for on the front, Special Service? (Cuda)
Update: We recieved an e-mail stating that S S stands for Sunday School. Duh! Why couldn't we figure that out? Thank You for the information.

Old Methodist Sunday School pin
History: In 1729 in England, a small group of Oxford University students were ridiculed as Bible Bigots, the Holy Club and Methodists because they spent so much time in methodical prayer and Bible reading. Led by John and Charles Wesley, the students held their ground against jeering students and went out to preach and pray with those considered to be the underbelly of English society.
Both John and Charles were Church of England missionaries to the colony of Georgia, arriving in March, 1736. It was their only occasion to visit America. Their mission was far from an unqualified success, and both returned to England disillusioned and discouraged.

Both of the Wesley brothers had transforming religious experiences in May, 1738. In the years following, the Wesleys succeeded in leading a lively renewal movement in the Church of England. As the Methodist movement grew, it became apparent that their ministry would spread to the American colonies as some Methodists made the exhausting and hazardous Atlantic voyage to the New World.

Antique Religious Medals

Antique Religious MedalsTwo of the medals have pins on the back and one says Souvenir First Holy Communion. The other has a picture of Mary and Baby Jesus. It's interesting to think about.

The large one with Mary, Jesus, and Joseph, has GERMANY stamped on the top loop.

We found a lot of aluminum religious medals, and they were still in great condition considering how long they've been in the water.

Most aluminum pieces that we find in salt water are so ate up you can't tell what they were. It's nice to be pulling silver stuff out of fresh water for a change too.

We thought about putting all the medals on a special page. But now we have so many, they would need a website all their own.
(Cudas)

Religious Medal Pendant

anotherThe thing about this beach is that there are layers of rocks you have to get through to find the signal. And the layers are put together like a puzzle.

To the left here is another religious medal pendant with chain. The chain is made out of stainless steel and the medal, copper. It wasn't corroded at all when I found it, the medal was just slightly tarnished, and the details, excellent.

The chain is all one piece, and it barely fits over my head. We can't figure out how someone could have lost it. On the back it says, I am a Catholic, please call a priest. (Garrett/Cuda)

Saint Francis Cross and Russian Orthodox Crucifix

Russian Orthodox crossCarol found two religious crosses today. She was actually scanning the same path I was walking at the ocean beach but she was about 30 feet behind me. I don't know how I missed them. This antique religious cross has Saint Francis on it.

They were both about 8 inches deep in the fallen dry sand by the bank. The picture is the actual size. This large crucifix is very decorative, and seems to have writing on the back that could be Latin, but maybe not. It is some foreign language.

The second one is a Russian Orthodox cross. It is silver, inlaid with blue enamel and mother of pearl. It is old Orthodox Russian according to Vlad. There is nothing on the backside.

What's the difference between the Russian Orthodox cross and a Catholic crucifix? The symbols on the end of the crossbar are in Greek. The one on the right stands for Jesus, the one on the left stands for Christ. The skull and crossbones at the bottom represent Adam, the first man, who is believe to be buried in Golgotha. The top is the same as the Catholic crucifix, INRI, King of the Jews.