What is a fraternity pin worth? It depends. There are a whole host of factors that determine the worth of a GLO pin (badge/emblem/etc.). Most are intrinsic. The love of fraternity ideals, the seriousness of the promise made, the resolve to reflect the values of the oath and living the creed come into play. And then there is the value of the precious metals and gems that form the actual pin.
Recently in a rare cleaning spree, I found this little book in with a stack of interesting items clipped from magazines. I knew I had it – somewhere – but yesterday it came into my vision and I knew I would write about it. It’s something I refer to every time someone asks about fraternity pins for sale on the internet.
The pamphlet, about 3×5 inches was in the September 1, 1997 issue of Family Circle magazine. In 1995, eBay became a thing, but it took several years for it to catch on and once it did, it proved this little book wrong. Fraternity pins and other GLO items often can make the seller a pretty penny.
At any point, there are hundreds of fraternity and sorority badges for sale on the internet. A market was quickly created, fostered in part by the desire to keep the items out of the hands of non-members.
This is my current favorite for a myriad of reasons, but I could never even contemplate buying it. If I had that kind of money sitting around waiting to be spent on frivolous items, I would help endow a scholarship in the names of my two Pi Phi friends who recently passed away – Julie Geiger Mercer and MaryMargaret McDonough. Therefore, I must content myself with looking at this picture of the badge, which I date to the 1890s, when the enameled wings were a thing. Today, Pi Phi’s Grand Council badges have white enameled wings.
