Nazi Coin

1937 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin Large Swastika WWII era Militaria Third Reich
1937 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin Large Swastika WWII era Militaria Third Reich
$15.50 (4 Bids)
Time Remaining: 42m

Rare WW2 Unique Antique Nazi Swastica Coin Army Surplus
Rare WW2 Unique Antique Nazi Swastica Coin Army Surplus
$3.97
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Extra Fine 1939 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin with Swastika WWII Militaria Third Reich
Extra Fine 1939 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin with Swastika WWII Militaria Third Reich
$9.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 1h 10m

German Reichspfennig Coin 1942 J WWII Nazi Era
German Reichspfennig Coin 1942 J WWII Nazi Era
$1.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 2h 3m

Nazi Germany 3rd Reich 1940 A 5 Reichspfennig KM98 Military Swastika Coin Hitler
Nazi Germany 3rd Reich 1940 A 5 Reichspfennig KM98 Military Swastika Coin Hitler
$100.00
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X RARE 1940 E Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1940 E Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99 (1 Bid)
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X RARE 1942 A Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1942 A Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$5.50 (6 Bids)
Time Remaining: 4h 9m

Lot of 5 REAL Nazi German Coins Found  WWII Surrender Site at Kurland Latvia
Lot of 5 REAL Nazi German Coins Found WWII Surrender Site at Kurland Latvia
$13.99
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D DAY 1944 B Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
D DAY 1944 B Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$7.16 (7 Bids)
Time Remaining: 5h 37m

X RARE  WW2 GERMAN 1938 A 1RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN COPPER
X RARE WW2 GERMAN 1938 A 1RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN COPPER
$2.22 (4 Bids)
Time Remaining: 5h 39m

RARE HI QUALITY NAZI BRONZE COINS w SWASTIKAS 1PF + BIG 2PF TRULY HISTORIC GEMS
RARE HI QUALITY NAZI BRONZE COINS w SWASTIKAS 1PF + BIG 2PF TRULY HISTORIC GEMS
$14.98
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X RARE  WW2 GERMAN 1939 A 1RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN COPPER
X RARE WW2 GERMAN 1939 A 1RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN COPPER
$1.75 (4 Bids)
Time Remaining: 5h 50m

X RARE 1942 G Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1942 G Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 6h 40m

Germany Third Reich 2 mark 1939 G Nazi Eagle Silver Coin Mirror Like KM 93
Germany Third Reich 2 mark 1939 G Nazi Eagle Silver Coin Mirror Like KM 93
$29.99
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X RARE  WW2 GERMAN 1939 A 2RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN COPPER
X RARE WW2 GERMAN 1939 A 2RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN COPPER
$2.25 (3 Bids)
Time Remaining: 6h 43m

Extra Fine 1939 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin with Swastika WWII Militaria Third Reich
Extra Fine 1939 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin with Swastika WWII Militaria Third Reich
$9.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 7h 2m

Lot of 10 Real Nazi German Coins From WWII Surrender Site In Latvia
Lot of 10 Real Nazi German Coins From WWII Surrender Site In Latvia
$22.99
Time Remaining: 2d 4h 53m
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X RARE 1940 A Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1940 A Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 7h 41m

X RARE 1943 D Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1943 D Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99
Time Remaining: 8h 9m

Set of 5 Genuine Nazi German Coins lot incl 1pf 2pf 5pf 10pf  A 50pf Coin
Set of 5 Genuine Nazi German Coins lot incl 1pf 2pf 5pf 10pf A 50pf Coin
$18.99
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1942 A NAZI SWASTIKA WW2 COIN 10 REICHSPFENNIG 3rd REICH GERMANY
1942 A NAZI SWASTIKA WW2 COIN 10 REICHSPFENNIG 3rd REICH GERMANY
$0.99
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X RARE 1941 A Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1941 A Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99
Time Remaining: 23h

RARE ORIGINAL GERMAN WWII THIRD REICH NAZI 5 REICHSMARK COIN RICHLY GOLD PLATED
RARE ORIGINAL GERMAN WWII THIRD REICH NAZI 5 REICHSMARK COIN RICHLY GOLD PLATED
$38.11
Time Remaining: 6d 8h 42m
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X RARE  WW2 GERMAN 1940 B 10RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN ZINC
X RARE WW2 GERMAN 1940 B 10RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN ZINC
$0.99
Time Remaining: 1d 3h

X RARE  WW2 GERMAN 1941 A 10RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN ZINC
X RARE WW2 GERMAN 1941 A 10RP 3RD REICH NAZI SWASTIKA COIN ZINC
$0.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 1d 3h 6m

Rare Old WWII Antique German 3rd Reich Nazi Eagle Bullion Coin Collection Lot E3
Rare Old WWII Antique German 3rd Reich Nazi Eagle Bullion Coin Collection Lot E3
$17.10 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1d 3h 22m

OLD NAZI Antique Vintage WWII Coin GERMAN COLLECTION X
OLD NAZI Antique Vintage WWII Coin GERMAN COLLECTION X
$3.99
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XXX Rare German  Nazi  Coin  1942 A  1Reichspfenning Swastika
XXX Rare German Nazi Coin 1942 A 1Reichspfenning Swastika
$1.04 (3 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1d 4h 56m

D DAY 1944 B Nazi Swastika 1 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
D DAY 1944 B Nazi Swastika 1 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99
Time Remaining: 1d 6h 4m

X RARE 1 PFennig 1941 GERMAN NAZI SS Hitler ZINC COIN with swastika 3330
X RARE 1 PFennig 1941 GERMAN NAZI SS Hitler ZINC COIN with swastika 3330
$2.50
Time Remaining: 28d 16h 8m
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D DAY 1944 D Nazi Swastika 1 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
D DAY 1944 D Nazi Swastika 1 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99
Time Remaining: 1d 17h 58m

D DAY YEAR 1944 D NAZI Swastika 5 pf COIN NAZI german WW2 GERMANY 3rd REICH
D DAY YEAR 1944 D NAZI Swastika 5 pf COIN NAZI german WW2 GERMANY 3rd REICH
$0.99
Time Remaining: 1d 23h 45m

3 RARE NAZI BRONZE COINS w SWASTIKA  499 BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC COINS 20 on EBAY
3 RARE NAZI BRONZE COINS w SWASTIKA 499 BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC COINS 20 on EBAY
$14.98
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Nazi GERMANY 151050 Pfennig 1935 1942 Lot of 6 Third Reich Coins No Res
Nazi GERMANY 151050 Pfennig 1935 1942 Lot of 6 Third Reich Coins No Res
$1.76 (4 Bids)
Time Remaining: 2d 1h 7m

X RARE 1942 B Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1942 B Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 2d 4h 9m

Germany 10 pfennig 1942 A Nazi Coin Swastika WW2 KM101
Germany 10 pfennig 1942 A Nazi Coin Swastika WW2 KM101
$7.99
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1945 F Germany 10 Reichspfennig COIN German Post NAZI Reich WW 2 NO SWASTIKA
1945 F Germany 10 Reichspfennig COIN German Post NAZI Reich WW 2 NO SWASTIKA
$8.50 (8 Bids)
Time Remaining: 2d 4h 15m

ESTATE SALE GREAT LOOKING 1944 A WW 2 NAZI 1 REICHSPENING SWASTIKA COIN LOT 557
ESTATE SALE GREAT LOOKING 1944 A WW 2 NAZI 1 REICHSPENING SWASTIKA COIN LOT 557
$1.99
Time Remaining: 2d 4h 26m

NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET  7
NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET 7
$11.99
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D DAY 1944 F Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
D DAY 1944 F Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99
Time Remaining: 2d 5h 37m

1936A 1938B NAZI 2  5 REICHSMARK  1 1941A PFENNIG GERMAN SILVER COIN SWASTIKA
1936A 1938B NAZI 2 5 REICHSMARK 1 1941A PFENNIG GERMAN SILVER COIN SWASTIKA
$45.00
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NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET  13
NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET 13
$11.99
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LAST YEAR MINTED 1939 MUNICH 2 MARK 62 SILVER BULLION GERMAN NAZI SWASTIKA COIN
LAST YEAR MINTED 1939 MUNICH 2 MARK 62 SILVER BULLION GERMAN NAZI SWASTIKA COIN
$4.25 (3 Bids)
Time Remaining: 2d 6h 1m

Rare Old WWII Antique German 1939 A SILVER 3rd Reich SS Nazi Eagle Bullion Coin
Rare Old WWII Antique German 1939 A SILVER 3rd Reich SS Nazi Eagle Bullion Coin
$14.94 (9 Bids)
Time Remaining: 2d 6h 14m

NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET  11
NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET 11
$9.99
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X RARE 1943 D Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1943 D Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99
Time Remaining: 2d 8h 9m

D DAY 1944 F Nazi Swastika 5 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
D DAY 1944 F Nazi Swastika 5 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99
Time Remaining: 2d 8h 53m

NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET R
NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET R
$14.99
Time Remaining: 21d 23h 21m
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X RARE 1941 F Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1941 F Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 2d 23h 3m

ANTIQUE1942 A GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 50 Reichspfennig ALUMINUM SWASTIKA COIN LOT 602
ANTIQUE1942 A GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 50 Reichspfennig ALUMINUM SWASTIKA COIN LOT 602
$7.99
Time Remaining: 3d 9m

ANTIQUE1939 B GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 10 Reichspfennig BRONZE SWADTIKS COIN LOT 604
ANTIQUE1939 B GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 10 Reichspfennig BRONZE SWADTIKS COIN LOT 604
$2.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 3d 9m

Germany Third Reich 10 pfennig 1939 D Nazi Eagle Swastika Alu Bronze Coin KM 92
Germany Third Reich 10 pfennig 1939 D Nazi Eagle Swastika Alu Bronze Coin KM 92
$11.99
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ANTIQUE 1940 B GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 50 Reichspfennig ALUMINUM SWASTIKA COIN LOT 601
ANTIQUE 1940 B GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 50 Reichspfennig ALUMINUM SWASTIKA COIN LOT 601
$19.99
Time Remaining: 3d 9m

ANTIQUE 1938 GGERMAN WW 2 NAZI 10 Reichspfennig BRONZE SWASTIKA COIN LOT 608
ANTIQUE 1938 GGERMAN WW 2 NAZI 10 Reichspfennig BRONZE SWASTIKA COIN LOT 608
$2.99
Time Remaining: 3d 9m

NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET Z
NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET Z
$12.99
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ANTIQUE 1938 GGERMAN WW 2 NAZI 10 Reichspfennig BRONZE SWASTIKS COIN LOT 606
ANTIQUE 1938 GGERMAN WW 2 NAZI 10 Reichspfennig BRONZE SWASTIKS COIN LOT 606
$2.99
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ANTIQUE 1937 A GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 5 Reichspfennig BRONZE SWASTIKA COIN LOT 603
ANTIQUE 1937 A GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 5 Reichspfennig BRONZE SWASTIKA COIN LOT 603
$2.99
Time Remaining: 3d 9m

NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET  5
NAZI GERMANY BANKNOTE COIN AND STAMP SET 5
$11.99
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ANTIQUE 1938 A GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 2 Silver Reichspmark SWASTIKA COIN LOT 621
ANTIQUE 1938 A GERMAN WW 2 NAZI 2 Silver Reichspmark SWASTIKA COIN LOT 621
$11.00
Time Remaining: 3d 9m

1937 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin Large Swastika WWII era Militaria Third Reich
1937 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin Large Swastika WWII era Militaria Third Reich
$9.99
Time Remaining: 3d 35m

Lot of 2 Real Nazi Germany Coins From WWII Set Includes a 1 Pf and 10 Pf coin
Lot of 2 Real Nazi Germany Coins From WWII Set Includes a 1 Pf and 10 Pf coin
$4.99
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Extra Fine 1939 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin with Swastika WWII Militaria Third Reich
Extra Fine 1939 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin with Swastika WWII Militaria Third Reich
$9.99
Time Remaining: 3d 46m

X RARE 1941 D Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
X RARE 1941 D Nazi Swastika 10 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99
Time Remaining: 3d 4h 49m

Nazi German 2 REICHSMARK 1939G SILVER COIN Third Reich BIG SWASTIKA WWII D Day
Nazi German 2 REICHSMARK 1939G SILVER COIN Third Reich BIG SWASTIKA WWII D Day
$14.95
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D DAY 1944 B Nazi Swastika 1 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
D DAY 1944 B Nazi Swastika 1 Reichspfennig COIN German 3rd Reich WW 2 Germany
$0.99
Time Remaining: 3d 6h 6m

1937 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin Large Swastika WWII era Militaria Third Reich
1937 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin Large Swastika WWII era Militaria Third Reich
$9.99
Time Remaining: 3d 6h 18m

XXX Rare German  Nazi  Coin  1939 D  1Reichpfenning Swastika
XXX Rare German Nazi Coin 1939 D 1Reichpfenning Swastika
$4.29
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Extra Fine 1939 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin with Swastika WWII Militaria Third Reich
Extra Fine 1939 Nazi 2 Mark Silver Coin with Swastika WWII Militaria Third Reich
$9.99
Time Remaining: 3d 7h 5m

1941 A NAZI SWASTIKA WW2 COIN 10 REICHSPFENNIG 3rd REICH GERMANY
1941 A NAZI SWASTIKA WW2 COIN 10 REICHSPFENNIG 3rd REICH GERMANY
$0.99
Time Remaining: 3d 9h 31m

Germany Third Reich 10 pfennig 1943 A Nazi Eagle Swastika WW2 Zinc Coin KM101
Germany Third Reich 10 pfennig 1943 A Nazi Eagle Swastika WW2 Zinc Coin KM101
$4.99
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XX Rare Genuine 1937 D WWII 2 Mark SILVER German Swastika 3rd Reich Nazi Coin
XX Rare Genuine 1937 D WWII 2 Mark SILVER German Swastika 3rd Reich Nazi Coin
$5.50 (5 Bids)
Time Remaining: 3d 22h 50m

Lot of 133 Nazi WW2 coins uncleaned zinc 1510 reich pfennig
Lot of 133 Nazi WW2 coins uncleaned zinc 1510 reich pfennig
$39.00 (8 Bids)
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Germany Third Reich 5 pfennig 1942 A Nazi Eagle Swastika WW2 Zinc Coin KM 100
Germany Third Reich 5 pfennig 1942 A Nazi Eagle Swastika WW2 Zinc Coin KM 100
$3.99
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XX Rare 1934 E WW2 5 Mark 90 SILVER German Nazi Garrisonkirche 3rd Reich Coin
XX Rare 1934 E WW2 5 Mark 90 SILVER German Nazi Garrisonkirche 3rd Reich Coin
$12.50 (5 Bids)
Time Remaining: 3d 23h 8m

M079RARE 1941 GERMAN NAZI WW2 SWASTIKA COIN 1 PF + HITLER  ARMY STAMPS LOT
M079RARE 1941 GERMAN NAZI WW2 SWASTIKA COIN 1 PF + HITLER ARMY STAMPS LOT
$0.99 (1 Bid)
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German 5 Mark Silver Coin German 5 Mark Silver Coin "Eagle" Two Tone Gold on Silver World Coin Hinged Money Clip

List Price: $92.95
Sale Price: $88.52
You save: $4.43 (5%)

 

Description

This coin is a little smaller than a U.S. half dollar. Total clip size is 1-1/8" x 2". Each one of these real coins from around the world is first layered in pure bright silver. Then, by hand, the figures of each are highlighted and brought to life with rich, pure 24KT gold...

Artsmith, Inc. Coin Purse (2-Sided) German Flag Waving Artsmith, Inc. Coin Purse (2-Sided) German Flag Waving

Sale Price: $41.97

 

Description

Product Number: 030-578249508 For ladies who feel short-changed in style, this cute coin purse is elegant & ideal. Whether you're grabbing cash at the store or tickets for the show, this awesome purse gets noticed...

German World War 2 Medals and Political Awards, the Satellite States German World War 2 Medals and Political Awards, the Satellite States

List Price: $22.95
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Description

A leading expert on German medals and political awards provides a definitive guide to those issued in occupied and annexed states. With an informative collection of photos illustrating the medal subjects it provides an essential reference to those interested in collecting Second World War medals.

German Army Medals & Awards - The Complete List German Army Medals & Awards - The Complete List

 

Description

Military Buffs, History Students, Historical Trivia Lovers and Even Students of Politics...You Must Have This eBook For Your Collection!Nowhere else in just one edition will you find such complete information!German Army Medals & Awards - The Complete List...

Standard Catalog of German Coins Standard Catalog of German Coins

Sale Price: $159.97

 

Description

Information for this book was gathered from more than 20 internationally recognized auction houses (many from within Germany), numismatic institutions and associations, dealers, collectors, and experts...

The power of the symbol

Ever since humans began using symbols they have been endowed with power beyond their immediate use. Symbols arose out of a need to communicate; however, their usage down the history has shown that they soon overpowered the mind that created them, for the better in some areas and for the worse in others. As social activities grew in number and complexity, the importance of symbols soon became apparent and consequently they began to appear in many different forms, shapes, sizes and colours. The purpose of symbols went far beyond simple representations of things - from merchant seals and regal emblems, through social bonds and tribal loyalties, to street signs and scientific notations, and wars, symbols have played a significant role in human affairs.

Historians tell us that symbols have been in use since millennia, going as far back in time as when humans were making stone implements more than 7000 years ago. Rock art and cave paintings of ancient human societies reveal that it was customary to use symbols in pagan rites. For example, the swastika, meaning 'well-being' in Sanskrit, was used by the Indus Valley people more than 5000 years ago.  It is still in use today in most Hindu rituals for the same purpose. Very few symbols like the swastika have survived to the present day, though many like those used on coins and stone tablets have lost their significance. Some have undergone changes in form, but continue to serve the same purpose like the signs of the zodiac, which probably predate the swastika by a thousand years. Many cross-like symbols existed since pre-historic times before it evolved into the cross of Christianity as we know it today. The Egyptian sphinx and Aladdin's lamp evoke feelings of wonderment and awe even to this day, though their original purpose and significance have been lost forever.

It is obvious that symbols have a definite purpose beyond their visual appeal and decorative function. A symbol stands for something that is out there in the world or in here in the mind. Before language was invented, people communicated their thoughts with symbols. It was the only way of communication in the ancient world, other than sounds and gestures, for language was not yet born. Whether you communicated with the dead, the nature or the people living around you, you used symbols. They were not limited to the pagan rites, however, but extended to the identity of the people that used them. Symbols fused people together, helped form societies and were expressions of loyalties to a tribe. Symbols eventually led to scripts like the Egyptian hieroglyphs and the rudiments of a language gradually took shape as people traded goods and the need to count became evident. As societies evolved symbols became more and more expressive until they stood for ideas beyond the representations of physical objects and social events. With the growth of symbols and the diversity of their usage, people came to depend on their use in almost all walks of life - rites, trade, astrology, counting - and eventually over centuries they came to stand for complex ideas that led to religion, culture, mathematics, astronomy and philosophy.

As symbols became the nucleus of daily life, our dependence on them not only grew beyond measure, but also led to both happy outcomes and undesirable consequences. As abstract representations of physical objects or natural events in the world, symbols helped us develop ideas into scientific theories, drawings into works of art and other-worldly feelings and experiences into religious beliefs. In science, we deal with universally accepted symbols. In works of art, symbols are specific to the culture and traditions of a society. In matters of religion, however, symbols are treated not just as representations of inarticulate ideas and feelings, but as the reality they are purported to stand for. Symbols in religion have remained static for thousands of years, unlike those in science, art and other human affairs, which have happily evolved over time depending on our changing needs. The religious symbols have no common universal frames of reference such as those in science and therefore our dependence on them seems to be unjustified. While symbols have brought us together in the fields of science, art and commerce, they have also divided us in matters of religion.

A symbol is not the thing; it has no significance in itself; it has a meaning only in relation to the thing it represents. And yet, it has come to mean much more than the thing itself. A flag is not merely a colourful representation of a nation on a piece of cloth: you can be shot or incarcerated for despoiling it. A picture of a god is no more than an artistic representation of an idea or a mythical man or woman endowed with extraordinary capacities; but it can lead to insane acts of violence, instigated by unscrupulous people. The word God is obviously an idea of GOD, since there is no universally accepted God symbol. Therefore, the believer and the unbeliever both react strongly to that word, each according to his or her cultural background, which is made up of imagery and symbolic representations. The symbol zero, we learn, had met with a lot of resistance in the West because it signified nothingness or emptiness, which went against the then Christian theology. The followers of Shiva and Vishnu had clashed over the alleged superiority of one over the other and the symbols they adorned their foreheads with had immediately divided them into warring camps. The thin line that divides a symbol from the reality it is meant to represent vanishes at the merest whisper of opposition: the symbol becomes the reality.

Symbols have been used to harness mass power in order to achieve certain desired ends. Political parties use symbols in order to promote mass identification. Democracies thrive on voting the symbol representatives to power. This mass appeal sometimes helps legitimize political actions which may seem patently inhuman in other contexts. The rallying power of the symbol was fully exploited by the Nazis before the Second World War. Since they adopted Swastika as their party symbol, it became infamously associated with the most appalling crime in the history of humanity: six million Jews became victims of the Nazi's racial bigotry. The communist ideology propagated by the symbol of hammer and sickle consumed the minds of a whole nation before it collapsed under the weight of its own tyrannical means to impose it on millions in the erstwhile Soviet Union. The advertisers use symbols to promote their product brands. And the well-known channels of advertisement, like hoardings, TV commercials, web banners and SMS ads on the mobile phones, are intended to lodge the symbols in the mind: the worth of the product (of which kind many exist in the market) hardly justifies this subliminal invasion and the resultant excessive cost to the consumer.

Not only in our waking moments, but even when we are sleeping, symbols affect us. They are the stuff of which dreams are made. We don't want to know why we dream, but merely what a particular dream means. There are always specialists around to interpret them for us. Because most symbols make sense only in a cultural context, we have many kinds of dream interpretations like the Islamic, the Christian, the Hindu, the Freudian and so on. And the specialist thrives in a pluralist society like our own. However, the hidden meaning of a symbol eludes even the adept, not so much from a lack of adequate knowledge, but perhaps because the meaning has changed dramatically over time. Despite being open to several, and sometimes conflicting interpretations, symbols in dreams continue to invite the specialist to provide meaning to the dreamer. Wake up, dear reader, and know your symbols well, and their meaning in a dream context, for not a day passes without dreams.

Aldous Huxley wrote that "Man is an amphibian who lives simultaneously in two worlds - the given and the homemade, the world of matter, life and consciousness and the world of symbols." He points out that the symbols in science have been carefully chosen to represent the physical world; however, in matters of religion and politics no such effort preceded the creation of symbols. Consequently, while the former helped us to grow technologically, the latter has held us back from overcoming our brute nature. No matter how many symbols we deal with in our daily life, it is perhaps more important, and urgent, to distinguish between those that aid our understanding and those that excite our passions, than merely to be overcome by their avowed meanings.

 

About the Author

Anand Betanabhotla

ananddotb@gmail.com

Coin-Op Classics: Galaga