Armorial Bearings

[Tipdin]

Genealogy is a major hobby of mine. I've tracked two lines of my ancestors back to men that were awarded armorial bearings, or what we would call a coat of arms. In spite of popular myths, let me also state here that a coat of arms never belongs to a family. The whole point of having a design is that it was a pictorial representation of a specific person during a time when people could neither read nor write. The picture could be recognized by anyone with vision good enough to see it. (Literally everything in the design of a coat of arms has meaning to, and regarding its owner, thereby making it very personal.)

 

Outside Scotland, there is almost no place on Earth anymore that still uses a coat of arms as a legal mark, following ancient heraldic guidelines. Some countries still register designs, but they really aren't the same as the owner's signature, they're more like a registered trademark or a copyright.

 

So here are my questions: Would you like one? Should we Americans have a system in place to legally track and use an individual's coat of arms? If you would like one, what items would you want represented in your design?

Edited January 11, 2011 by Tipdin