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Vintage Freemasonry Books & Masonic Ephemera Collection – 1940s
Offered for sale is a fascinating vintage collection of two hardcover Freemasonry books by Carl H. Claudy, accompanied by original Masonic documents and ephemera associated with Massachusetts Masonic organizations and the historic Panama Canal Zone.
Books Included:
1. Introduction to Freemasonry – I: Entered Apprentice
* Author: Carl H. Claudy
* Publisher: The Temple Publishers, Washington, D.C.
* Copyright: 1931
* Printing: Seventeenth Printing, February 1942
* Hardcover with blue cloth binding
* Personalized presentation page from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, recording an initiation dated September 12, 1943
2. Introduction to Freemasonry – III: Master Mason
* Author: Carl H. Claudy
* Publisher: The Temple Publishers, Washington, D.C.
* Copyright: 1931
* Printing: Seventeenth Printing, February 1942
* Matching blue cloth hardcover
* Original Masonic presentation and autograph pages
Please note: These are Volumes I and III only. Volume II is not included.
Additional Vintage Masonic Ephemera:
* October 1948 printed communication from Sibert Lodge, A.F. & A.M., Gatun, Panama Canal Zone, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.
* Vintage By-Laws of Coral Chapter No. 3, Order of the Eastern Star, Gatun, Canal Zone, revised May 1940.
* Grand Lodge of Massachusetts printed Masonic presentation/instructional material.
* Additional associated Masonic paperwork shown in the photographs.
Condition:
Both books show typical age-related wear, including rubbing, edge and corner wear, cloth discoloration, and natural yellowing of the pages. The bindings and covers show evidence of handling and storage over the decades.
The accompanying documents show age toning, folding, and other expected wear from storage and use.
The personalized presentation inscriptions and period lodge-related paperwork add historical interest and provenance to the collection.
All items are offered together as one lot, exactly as photographed.
An appealing collection for Freemasonry historians, Masonic memorabilia collectors, researchers of the former Panama Canal Zone, or collectors of vintage fraternal organization publications.
Please examine all photographs carefully for details of condition and contents.
