Church of Good Luck
Miscellaneous Items
Almost every culture has lucky objects, which range from the natural, such as animals, plants and minerals, to representations of the supernatural and imaginary creations.
Animals are often considered lucky. Elephants in particular are seen by many cultures as a lucky symbol. In more recent times the elephant with raised trunk is considered to be even more lucky than elephants in other poses.
Both of these elephant groupings were sculpted by Guido Cacciapuoti, an artist well-known for his sculptures of animals. The one on the left is in gilt bronze and the one on the right is ceramic. In other designs he depicts the "trunk up" pose.
Sometimes only a certain part of the animal is considered lucky, as seen by the use of the coon dong as a charm for luck in love. A similar, but much more extreme example is shown here:
This is the oosik, the penis bone of a walrus. It is a common love charm among the Eskimos. This particular example is about 24 inches long.
Another lucky animal symbol is the Japanese Lucky Cat or Maneki Neko, often seen in places of business. The cat beckons customers while holding a coin.
The maneki neko on the left is a one-eyed vinyl adaptation made by Read Head toys of Japan.
Another character that is considered lucky, especially in Europe, is the chimneysweep. The image of the chimneysweep is often seen on Good Luck New Year tokens and coins from Germany and Austria. Below is a chalkware plaque, about 6 inches high, that shows a lucky chimneysweep with a four-leaf clover:
White Heather is a Scottish symbol of Good Luck. Some people use it to wish upon, others use it as a wedding flower to bring good luck to the marriage. It has been said that White Heather is so rare there is only about 1 acre of it on the entire Earth.
This paperweight hold a large sprig of White Heather. A Victorian locket containing White Heather is shown on the jewelry page.
Of course, one of the most famous lucky plants is the four-leaf clover. The image of the clover is found on many items, such as lucky coins and token, as well as in jewelry. Recently, church member Kristi began to find these lucky clovers and she kindly sent several fine examples to Rev. Jim and his family.
This is the front of a special card made to preserve these real four-leaf clovers.
The back of the card is a design taken from the de Laurence lucky identification card ("free with orders over $2"), scanned from an old de Laurence catalog. Special thanks to Kristi for these wonderful clovers. Also thanks to Devin at Office Depot for her lamination skills.
An actual clover is also used in this old pendant:
These old pendants were advertised in the O & B Supply catalog as being "enclosed in a glass-like case to prevent breaking". "Glass-like" meaning clear plastic, of course!
Here is the Gobbo depicted on an old coin:
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Animals are often considered lucky. Elephants in particular are seen by many cultures as a lucky symbol. In more recent times the elephant with raised trunk is considered to be even more lucky than elephants in other poses.
Both of these elephant groupings were sculpted by Guido Cacciapuoti, an artist well-known for his sculptures of animals. The one on the left is in gilt bronze and the one on the right is ceramic. In other designs he depicts the "trunk up" pose.
Sometimes only a certain part of the animal is considered lucky, as seen by the use of the coon dong as a charm for luck in love. A similar, but much more extreme example is shown here:
This is the oosik, the penis bone of a walrus. It is a common love charm among the Eskimos. This particular example is about 24 inches long.
Another lucky animal symbol is the Japanese Lucky Cat or Maneki Neko, often seen in places of business. The cat beckons customers while holding a coin.
The maneki neko on the left is a one-eyed vinyl adaptation made by Read Head toys of Japan.
Another character that is considered lucky, especially in Europe, is the chimneysweep. The image of the chimneysweep is often seen on Good Luck New Year tokens and coins from Germany and Austria. Below is a chalkware plaque, about 6 inches high, that shows a lucky chimneysweep with a four-leaf clover:
White Heather is a Scottish symbol of Good Luck. Some people use it to wish upon, others use it as a wedding flower to bring good luck to the marriage. It has been said that White Heather is so rare there is only about 1 acre of it on the entire Earth.
This paperweight hold a large sprig of White Heather. A Victorian locket containing White Heather is shown on the jewelry page.
Of course, one of the most famous lucky plants is the four-leaf clover. The image of the clover is found on many items, such as lucky coins and token, as well as in jewelry. Recently, church member Kristi began to find these lucky clovers and she kindly sent several fine examples to Rev. Jim and his family.
This is the front of a special card made to preserve these real four-leaf clovers.
The back of the card is a design taken from the de Laurence lucky identification card ("free with orders over $2"), scanned from an old de Laurence catalog. Special thanks to Kristi for these wonderful clovers. Also thanks to Devin at Office Depot for her lamination skills.
An actual clover is also used in this old pendant:
These old pendants were advertised in the O & B Supply catalog as being "enclosed in a glass-like case to prevent breaking". "Glass-like" meaning clear plastic, of course!
The Gobbo is an interesting fellow. He is an Italian hunchback who considered to be Good Luck. While bodily deformities have historically not been considered to be lucky - in fact quite the opposite - the well-dressed Gobbo is an exception. In 19th century
Often the Gobbo is combined with another famous Italian good luck charm, the Cornicello or Lucky Horn. Here are a few examples of current key chains and rearview mirror hangers that feature the Gobbo:
Here is the Gobbo depicted on an old coin:
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