Old English Silver....What is it?

[Goldstrike]

I detected this piece of silver on one of my trips to England. It came out of the middle of an old grove of trees from an old park. If you notice where the thumb is placed between the index and middle finger! I hope it's not a rude gesture!!! It may have belonged to a secret? society and that might have been a secret sign? The only silver mark I can decipher is the thistle which is an Edinburgh mark (Scotland). I wrote the other marks on the paper for research. I also assume it was worn on the wrist perhaps as part of a charm bracelet or around the neck? Any ideas?

 

[Aarong81]

Thats the American Sign Language that means the letter T. Its possible it is not American Sign but more likely it is and had extra bangles or charms that spelled a name.

 

[didymus]

It's called a figa. Here's some info on it.

The Figa sign is a gesture made with the hand and fingers curled and the thumb thrust between the middle and index fingers, or, rarely, the middle and ring fingers, forming the fist so that the thumb partly pokes out. In some areas of the world, the gesture is considered a good luck charm; in others (including France, Greece, Russia, and Turkey among others), it is considered an obscene gesture. The precise origin of the gesture is unknown, but many historians speculate that it refers to female genitalia. In ancient Greece, this gesture was a fertility and good luck charm designed to ward off evil. This usage has survived in Portugal and Brazil, where carved images of hands in this gesture are used in good luck talismans.

 

[Aarong81]

I couldn't find much on "figa" but wikipedia calls it 'fig sign' and offers some more info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fig_sign

 

[Swingbeepdig]

Its a good luck charm very popular in portugal.

figa means to cross ones finger, i have a 18 karat gold one from my father

 

[Goldstrike]

[size=large]Awesome!!! Thank you very much for shedding light on this unusual piece!! I was aware of the sign language explanation but still felt like something else was depicted in this silver article. Thanks again guy's and particularly didymus!![/size]