Back in 2012 this reporter offered a brief history that involved “knights, secret societies and a castle destroyed in an explosion.” At the time I admitted it had the making of a Da Vinci Code setup but was far less exciting – if not somewhat interesting to collectors. Now the time has come for a sequel, one that at least might make more sense than Dan Brown’s Inferno, a book/movie that still makes little to any sense!

This story revolves around knights and their Egyptian temple, but more importantly could help explain why at least one of the fraternal groups of the late 19th century adopted white helmets that were similar in design to the helmets worn by the various military forces of the day. Continue reading →