Antique 1800s American Foundry Society Sterling Silver Black Enamel Pin

Antique American Foundrymen’s Association / American Foundry Society Sterling Silver Black Enamel Pin

Pin measures 14.3mm across in a solid sterling silver round shape with black enameling. The front reads AFA 1896 with the group’s insignia.

This is a very unique and rare find! I haven’t found another like it!

The society was founded in 1896 when the Philadelphia Foundrymen’s Association and the Western Foundrymen’s Association met at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The two associations invited foundrymen nationwide to join in organizing a national association called the American Foundrymen’s Association. The group, consisting of 345 delegates, wrote the new society’s constitution, resolving to promote both the art and science involved in metal casting, improve production methods, and improve the quality of castings to the advantage of the foundry and the customer. It held its first casting expo in 1897 and formed its first committee to study cast iron testing in 1898.