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Phi Beta Kappa Key

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in American School Medals (currently in collection)

c.1830. Gold, hand engraved. 53.0mm × 25.3mm, 5.7 grams, with ring for suspension. Obverse: The Greek letters ΦΒΚ, below a constellation of 5 five-pointed stars, with a hand below pointing up through the letters to the stars, with a narrow wriggle-work double border. Reverse: BEN JOHNSON JUN. On a ribbon, above SP and December 5th. 1776, with a narrow wriggle-work double border.

The honorary society Phi Beta Kappa was founded at William & Mary in 1776, extended to Harvard and Yale in 1779, and spread from there. It evolved from being one of several secret societies that were popular on college campuses during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, to an honorary society in the 1830’s. The early medals were hand engraved, square gold medals, but at some early point someone figured that if they had the shank of the winding key from their pocket watch soldered onto the medal, they could make it a useful everyday item that would be less obnoxious to display and use publicly, or perhaps more obnoxious depending on your point of view. This idea caught on and today, the Phi Beta Kappa medals are in the shape of a key, but not actually a watch key. “Phi Beta Kappa” is from the initials of the society's motto in Greek which means “philosophy the guide of life”.

Item record created Oct. 12, 2008.
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item record in VRA Core 4.0