This little charm belonged to my grandmother. She acquired it at Dibbern's Jewelry Shop in downtown Los Angeles where she worked in 1927 (marked on bottom). It is solid 14k gold and very heavy for it's size - feels like a gold nugget. It is in excellent condition with normal wear for being almost one hundred years old!
Who wouldn't want to own a Billiken with a history like this......


In 1908 a mysterious rotund figure appeared to Missouri art teacher, Florence Pretz, in a dream. She drew the character and named it the Billiken, “the god of things as they ought to be”. To buy a Billiken was said to give the purchaser luck, but to receive one as a gift would be better luck.

In 1909, in Nome Alaska, an Inuit carver by the name Angokwazhuk copied a Billiken figurine in ivory. Since that first appearance some Inuit carvers began to include the Billiken in the collection of figurines they created.

1911 the Billiken became the official mascot of the secretive Royal Order of Jesters, an elite Shriner group dedicated to the celebration of mirth.

1912 the Billiken became the unofficial mascot of Osaka. Throughout Japan representations of the Billiken were enshrined.

1921 the Billiken became the official mascot of St. Louis University.



**shipping includes insurance**