Medieval pilgrim badge
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Badges of one sort or another have been collected since ancient times. Greek and Roman pilgrims to pagan shrines often made collections of miniature images of gods and goddesses or their emblems, and Christian pilgrims later did the same. Usually medieval Christian pilgrim badges were metal pin badges - most famously the shell symbol showing the wearer had been to the shrine of St. James at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. These were stuck in hats or into clothing and hard working pilgrims could assemble quite a collection, as mentioned by Chaucer in his 'Canterbury Tales'.
Arthur Forgeais and his collection of medieval pilgrim badges is mentioned in The Worship of the Generative Powers by Thomas Wright
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