why does every Mark Master have to select a personal mark and can two brethren pick the same one

Selecting a personal mark serves symbolically to distinguish a craftsman's work, expressing his individual identity and personal responsibility within the fraternity 1. Symbolically, the mark functions like a signature or thumbprint, ensuring that a mason cannot evade responsibility for bad work by hiding in the anonymity of a crowd 1. It emphasizes that every workman stands separately while remaining a member of a broader brotherhood 1. Official guidance from Mark Master Masons' Hall notes that this ceremony centres on the operative tradition of choosing and using a mark to identify work so the craftsman is entitled to receive his wages.

The symbolism balances individual identity with collective unity, affirming that a mason maintains his distinct identity even while joined in brotherhood 1. Regarding whether two brethren may choose the same mark, the library sources emphasize that a mark expresses unique individuality 1, but they do not state the formal administrative rules governing duplicate registrations across lodge books.

Traditional ritual directions specify that a personal mark must consist of an odd number of points connected by lines—commonly given as 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 points—joined to form any figure chosen by the candidate, with the exception of one prohibited three-pointed figure 1. This rule of odd points reflects a distinction noted by Robert Freke Gould between the "blind mark" of an apprentice, which displayed an even number of points, and the true mark of a passed craftsman, which required an odd number 2. Scottish operative tradition similarly held that a mark must contain at least one angle, excluding plain circles unless combined with a line that formed an angle with it 2.

Regarding the composition of the lines, instructions traditionally implied or explicitly required straight lines, though certain older chapter workings permitted curved lines as well 1. The precise method of counting points caused ongoing debate, particularly over whether an intersection where two lines cross constitutes a point 1. Counting crossing points alters whether a given design satisfies the odd-point requirement, leading commentators to note that excluding crossing points cuts down the available number of usable designs by roughly one-fourth 1.

In practice, strict adherence to these geometric regulations varies. Albert C. Mackey notes that neither American governing bodies nor the Grand Lodge of Scotland laid down a universal rule specifying the design or number of points, leaving the choice to the candidate 1. To resolve ambiguities over intersecting lines and to ensure a sufficient variety of unique marks for candidates, authorities recommended simplifying the requirement to straight lines joined together while discontinuing the counting of points entirely 1.