What does this Catholic medal signify?

March 3, 2008 6:23 PM

My girlfriend was at an estate sale and found an odd little St. Cristopher's medal (the saint of travelers) with a mysterious inscription on the back. 1916 ECB 1941. Any ideas as to what this means?

The most obvious guess is that the letters are initials of a 25 y/o, perhaps a brother or son that died in 1941, maybe even during the attack on Pearl Harbor or during the torpedoing of the USS Reuben James or the USS Kearny? Edward Clarence Brown or Ethan Claude Burrows?

Anyone have any different explanations? The backside shows the images of a plane and a car, which I assume pertains to the saint's efforts on behalf of travelers, but is ECB a name of a company? I've been through wikipedia's pages for 1916 and 1941 but couldn't find any obvious answers. What do you guys think?

(Also, neither of us is Catholic, so we're not sure if there is something obvious from a religious standpoint that we're missing- she was just intrigued by the mystery of it)

posted by stewiethegreat to grab bag (3 comments total)

I have a few old medals from various Catholic auto clubs that were popular to hang in cars in the 50s and 60s. My guess is that your medal commemorates the 25th anniversary of one such club.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 6:31 PM on March 3, 2008

My (super southern, super Catholic) father just inherited one of those from my grandfather. The inscription refers to the initials and birth and death years of some individual.
posted by Jenafeef at 6:57 PM on March 3, 2008

My guess: a Catholic who died in service in WWII. 1916-1941, initials ECB. St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, maidens, and mariners. It was an appropriate medal to give to someone who was traveling to war, particularly if they were in the Navy, or to commemorate them if they had already passed.
posted by Miko at 10:06 PM on March 3, 2008