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Shell Back Certificate
Certificate "Domain of Neptunus Rex" certificate, a traditional, unofficial U.S. Navy document commemorating a sailor's first crossing of the equator. These certificates are part of a long-standing naval initiation ceremony where "pollywogs" (sailors who haven't crossed the equator) become "shellbacks" (those who have).
Certificate Details

Recipient: James L. Wilson.
Ship: The U.S.S. Virginia.
Date: July 28, 1902. The document states the ship was bound southward for the Straits of Magellan and Pacific Ports.
Signatures: It features stylized "signatures" from "Davy Jones" (His Majesty's Scribe) and "Neptunus Rex" (Ruler of the Raging Main).
Design: The certificate has a decorative border with sea creatures and features an illustration of Neptune with his trident at the top and an American bald eagle at the bottom. Similar designs were copyrighted in 1908 by The Middlesex Sales Company and were commonly purchased by sailors as souvenirs of the ceremony.

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Shell Back Certificate