2480 – Rabbit’s foot: Good luck charm

Physical description:

White lucky rabbit's foot with a fluted mount and a bead-style chain. The mount is now severely rusted.

Museum classification:

Protection and Good Luck

Size:

70 x 30 x 20

Information:

Scarborough Museum has several rabbit's feet, all carried to bring good luck - one from Charleston USA, two from Midway, British Columbia, and one from Scarborough. They also have a number of other rabbit/hare related charms:- The blade bone of a rabbit, carried for good luck (Scarborough, 1911). Two pelvic bones of rabbits, carried by soldiers during WWI, one for good luck and the other to protect against venereal disease. The blade bone of a rabbit pierced with nine pins, used for divination (Hull, no date). A hare's tail, used by fishermen at the mouth of the Severn as a charm to bring a good catch (1914). (Information supplied by Tabitha Cadbury - see her report 'The Clarke Collection of Charms and Amulets' in the museum library.)

Resource:

Object

Materials:

Animal, metal

Copyright ownership:

Treetrunk Ltd.

Scarborough Museum has several rabbit's feet, all carried to bring good luck - one from Charleston USA, two from Midway, British Columbia, and one from Scarborough. They also have a number of other rabbit/hare related charms:- The blade bone of a rabbit, carried for good luck (Scarborough, 1911). Two pelvic bones of rabbits, carried by soldiers during WWI, one for good luck and the other to protect against venereal disease. The blade bone of a rabbit pierced with nine pins, used for divination (Hull, no date). A hare's tail, used by fishermen at the mouth of the Severn as a charm to bring a good catch (1914). (Information supplied by Tabitha Cadbury - see her report 'The Clarke Collection of Charms and Amulets' in the museum library.)