2053 – Joan the Wad Pisky Charm

Physical description:

Brass good luck charm - Joan the Wad, Queen of the Cornish Piskies. Joan is seated with one arm curved over her head, with an inscription "Joan the Wad" and a ring for hanging above her. Still attached to original backing paper.

Museum classification:

Piskies

Size:

50 x 20 x 7

Information:

Backing paper has decoration of toadstools in green and the words, "Joan the Wad. lucky Cornish Piskey charm. Carry this Charm with you always to bring Good Luck. 'Peerage' needs no cleaning."
Registered trade mark no. on back: 772526 (?).
'Wad' means 'torch', perhaps linking Joan the Wad to Jack O'Lantern as another spirit who leads travellers astray with a mysterious light. However, it could also indicate a connection between her and Hecate, Goddess of the Witches, one of whose symbols is a flaming torch.

These Joan the Wad charms seem to have been devised by F.T. Nettleinghame, who registered them in 1932. See Rupert White's Book, 'Magic and Modernism: Art from Cornwall in Context 1800 - 1950'.

Resource:

Object

Materials:

Metal (brass)

Backing paper has decoration of toadstools in green and the words, "Joan the Wad. lucky Cornish Piskey charm. Carry this Charm with you always to bring Good Luck. 'Peerage' needs no cleaning."
Registered trade mark no. on back: 772526 (?).
'Wad' means 'torch', perhaps linking Joan the Wad to Jack O'Lantern as another spirit who leads travellers astray with a mysterious light. However, it could also indicate a connection between her and Hecate, Goddess of the Witches, one of whose symbols is a flaming torch.

These Joan the Wad charms seem to have been devised by F.T. Nettleinghame, who registered them in 1932. See Rupert White's Book, 'Magic and Modernism: Art from Cornwall in Context 1800 - 1950'.