Grey Owl Neckerchief Slides – Update

Mike Conkey had asked the for some information on Patch-L about a neckerchief slide he had acquired.

Good Morning! I need some info on a neckerchief slide I picked up and hope the wisdom of the list can help. It is pewter and arrowhead-shaped. Has an arrow (pointing up to the left as you look at it). On top of the arrow is a turtle, below the arrow is “WWW”. Probably from the 1970’s – 1980’s timeframe. Was this a National issue, or does it belong to some “turtle-ish” lodge like Unami?

I replied that it seemed to be one of the slides I had previously discussed in my series on neckerchief slides.

I think it may be related to the ones I referred to in one of blog postings http://www.nyoatrader.com/blog/2007/09/08/grey-owl-neckerchief-slides/
Other totems:
http://www.nyoatrader.com/blog/2007/09/03/thay-en-da-ne-gea-418-metal-neckerchief-slide/
and
http://www.nyoatrader.com/blog/2007/05/14/adirondack-lodge-357-neckerchief-slide/

Roy Weatherbee confirmed my vague recollections:

Sounds like you have a pewter “Totem slide” made/sold for years (going back well into the 1960’s) by Grey Owl (Grey Owl Indian Craft Co.,Jamaica, NY 11434). Their old mail-order catalogs listed a generic arrowhead-shaped pewter slide with arrow and “WWW” to which could be affixed one of serveral dozen different totems. As there were so many lodges that used a turtle for a totem, this is one of the more common ones. These were very popular in the 1960’s and into the 1970’s, though I’m not sure when they were discontinued.

Newer ones have a rectangular slide ring made of the same pewter material

as the slide itself, and are slightly smaller (40x55mm) than older ones

(42x58mm) that have a rectangular chrome-plated steel slide ring (which

appear to have broken off easiy). The oldest one I’ve seen is made of brass or bronze with a circular slide ring of steel painted black. Only the later variety carried any markings: “TOTEM SLIDE” in raised lettering on the back.
These could be ordered by anyone and were popular among OA members of the time. The only one I’ve seen that might be considered a lodge “issue” would be one I have with a deer/buck/stag totem and the pewter numbers 377 in place of WWW – likely a special request ordered by lodge 377 in some quantity as to make it worthwhile for Grey Owl to perform the customization. Would be

interested in hearing if anyone has seen any others bearing a lodge name or number?

Frank Kern advised that:

305 sold this style with a beaver design attached.
336 also sold this design with a ram’s head in profile.

What other ones are out there?

————————-

I don’t know about most people, but my books overflow the shelves and tables and end up every flat surface in the house and office. There is a certain comfort knowing there is always a new book to read, a reference tool to consult, an author to experience, knowledge to gain. You cannot have too many books to consult, savor, and read over and over again.

Miriam Kahn