Expert: Francesco Marchesani - 1/26/2008

Question
I have a Santa Barbara postcard with a cancellation stamp of 1920, and printed on the front is a swastika.  Could you please explain?

Answer
Hello,
the swastika is a very ancient symbol worldwide, representing the sun or the swirling winds, which unfortunately was taken by the Nazi as their flag and thus doomed forever.
Before the second world war it was widely used in Europe and Asia, and it still retains some importance in Asian culture and religion nowadays.
In America, it was a sign of good look until it started to be associated with Nazi Germany, and it was an ancient symbol used by some tribes, such as Navajo and Hopi; the National Guard 45th Infantry Division used a shoulder patch displaying a yellow swastika on a red diamond, until the late 1930's.

For more detailed informations, please see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_use_of_the_Swastika_in_the_early_20th_centu...