The Knights of Pythias Test of Steel including oak storage cabinet.

Description

You will be purchasing the main part of The Knights of Pythias Test of Steel. You will be getting both triangles pictured.
One of the spiked triangles has steel spikes, the other has rubber made to look like steel. In our searching, we have never been able to find one of the metal spiked triangles for sale. We could only find the rubber ones.
The steel spiked triangle (which is the slightly larger of the two) has one loose spike and one rubber spike that was a replacement for a missing spike. The wood on the steel spiked triangle also has 2 spits in it. You should be able to see the splits in the picture where the loose metal and rubber spike are pulled out. The splits go right through the holes where the pegs came from.
The storage cabinet that is used for the storage is made of solid oak. The oak is 3/4 of an inch thick. There are a set of steps included that attach to the side of the cabinet for when the ritual is actually preformed.
The cabinet measurements are 24.75" tall, 30.25 long, and 13.5" deep.
We believe the set is from the 1920s.
Description of the rite from the The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library blog:
While these two items may look identical in the photo - triangular wooden bases covered with pointed spikes - there is a crucial difference between them. On one, the spikes are metal and unyielding. On the other, the spikes just look like metal but they are actually rubber.
Founded by Justus H. Rathbone in 1864, the Knights of Pythias based their ritual on the story of the friendship between Damon and Pythias. Like many American fraternal groups, and because founder Rathbone was a Freemason, the Knights took inspiration from Freemasonry, which was officially established in America in the 1730s. Like Freemasonry, the Knights of Pythias have three degrees, called ranks, each with an initiation ritual.
These props, known as the "test of steel," were a part of the ritual for the third Knights of Pythias rank - the rank of Knight. A published version of the ritual from 1928 explains how these objects were used. The candidate was asked to examine the one with the metal spikes. Then the officers would swap in the prop with the rubber spikes, without the candidate noticing. The Master at Arms would take the candidate to a set of steps and make sure he walked to the top. At the word of the man playing the King, the candidate had to jump into the center of the spikes. An earlier published version of the ritual, from 1882, differs slightly in that it does not call this part of the ritual the "test of steel," and suggests that these bases with spikes were not always used. In this version, the "instrument" is not specific - a blank is left in the text. The Master of Arms is commanded simply to go to the armory and "bring forth the first instrument of ---- upon which [his] hand may chance to fall." The rest of the ritual is conducted very similarly to that in the 1928 version - the candidate is led to the top of the steps and asked to jump after seeing the real item, which is then exchanged for the "fictitious" one (as it was called in the 1882 published ritual).
AUCTION TERMS
All payments must be received within 4 days of the date the auction ended; otherwise Buyer forfeits their winning bid(s) and the item(s) may be relisted.
Buyer is responsible for all uninsured or non-registered items that are lost, stolen or damaged.
Items to be returned must be returned within 10 business days from the date received. If item is to be returned, I must be contacted within 3 days of date received. No Returns on Photographs!
No Returns on items due color slight differences from the pictures. The colors can be off a little due to differences in cameras, monitor settings, and your lighting conditions.
International shipping costs will be determined at auction end.
All items will be shipped within 3 business days upon receipt/clearing of payment unless otherwise specified.