Back to all Order of the Arrow Vigil Sashes No arrow Vigil Sash Type 1A Type 1 no arrow Counterclockwise Arrows Sash Material: WHITE FELT - Arrow: NONE Triangle: RED - Arrows: COUNTERCLOCKWISE Arrow Length: NO ARROW Arrow Details: NOCKED ENDS Back: FULLY LINED Other details purposely omitted In a letter mailed to the 14 Third Degree members dated 8/1/1922 it states, “third degree bands are one dollar and twenty five cents, every third degree member should own his own band” This seems to indicate that there was no sash for the 3rd Degree-Vigil Honor until 1922. It is believed that the three piece Vigil band visible in the 1921 Grand Lodge organizing meeting was made for Edson and Goodman, as founders and not used by other early Vigils. 1916 Lodge1 1918 Lodge 1 1922 Lodge 7 Between 1916 and 1924 there were about 25 Vigils, Evidence seems to indicate that the first sashes had counter clockwise arrows. But sashes were ordered in small quantities (perhaps as few as 10), so it’s impossible to know. No arrow Vigil Sash Type 1B Type 1 no arrow Clockwise Arrows Sash Material: WHITE FELT - Arrow: NONE Triangle: RED - Arrows: CLOCKWISE Arrow Length: NO ARROW Arrow Details: NOCKED ENDS Back: FULLY LINED Other details purposely omitted In 1922 the GL was ordering arrow bands (Ordeal sashes) 30 at a time. In 1922 two batches of 30 were ordered with 50 distributed and 10 lost. No one knows how many Vigil sashes the fledgling organization ordered. Perhaps, 10 or even less. With 25 Vigils by 1924 its likely that the small quantities were re-ordered. My dating of 1A and 1B is circumstantial. It's possible that the 1922 order was counterclockwise while the 1923 order was clockwise. Collectors can get hung up on types but even the most advanced sash collector would probably be delighted to have a specimen of this earliest sash. 1924 Lodge 4 1925 Lodge 1 Clock-wise arrows 1928 Lodge 1 There is a detail about Type 1 sashes that requires further research. It’s regarding the position of the triangle on the sash. In some photos the triangle seems to be sewn higher on the sash than others. It’s possible that the sash is twisted or not proportioned properly on the wearer. It’s believed these earliest sashes were made in small batches. With just a couple known to exist it’s possible that there are other unknown variations. Back to all Order of the Arrow Vigil Sashes