UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories The Honor Ring Forum JG53 ''PIK AS'' DAK Ring

Hello guys, here is a ring i got a while ago. I wanted to share it with you for some time now but i was having a difficult time with the size photo limit.

Description:

Rare 1941-43 period time ring crafted in North Afrika. The ring shows the emblem of Jagdgeschwader 53 "PIK AS" on the center and a North African scenery in the background. The material must be iron-nickel alloy and no markings are found inside or outside of the ring. A typical North African work as i have been told, but as always these canteen rings need a leap of faith as you can never be 101% sure when they were made.
Good condition. Diameter: 2,1cm.

I only managed to upload these pics as the rest cannot be made smaller than 123.5kb
I tried in the smallest possible resolution but still they remain bigger than the aforementioned limit.

Another attempt

What shows the stamp outside the band?
Is it the head of a black man?
If yes, this is a tunesian hallmark for small silver items.
Content 800 and more, if i remember right this hall mark starts in 1942.

Hallo mein Freund. Are you referring to the second picture?
I think it's not a mark just a hole or something. You made me curious now.
I will have a look with a magnifier.

don kihotis,

Just wanted to compliment you on your ring, very nice!

For those who might not know the term "Pik-A-s-s," it's the German term for the Ace of Spades.

Thanks for your post.

Bill

The filters wouldn't allow me to spell the word A S S, dang!

Very hard to determine anything on these hand carved[?]rings..
You'll need to see IF those are really tool marks on the front. It would be great if you had a good strong camera with macro etc. to get 'in there' on those tool marks..

Is it magnetic? Can you see a size seam to the rear?

Yes, what to hell should make such damage/hole?
It looks like it has sharp edges(?) and i am rather sure this is a kind of hallmark.

If this would be my ring, i would make a research where this unit was in this times and than compare the known hallmarks of this country with this damage.

Thanks for the compliment friend.
Actually it's spelled with one "s" (Pik As) so the filter should be ok

Hello Gaspare. I will try to get some better pics. I will add now those of the seller just in case they can be viewed better than mine.
When you said to check if those are really tool marks what exactly do you mean? If they were not made by tools then they could have been done by machine?
I will check it again when i get home tonight and see if it has a seam on the back and if it is magnetic although i believe it is as i can smell the iron when i wear it. Iron has a distinctive smell when it reacts with sweat.

Here are the seller's photos.

Friend i have zoomed in the pic so that the mark can be viewed clearer than before. It really looks like a damage to me.

Regarding the unit, they were fighting in Malta, Sicily and North Africa from November 1942 - September 1943.
In North Africa they were mostly active in Tunisia but also in Tripoli etc.
Here is a link with info on the unit and underneath i have included some pictures from the web.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdgeschwader_53

I own the complete rig 2nd Pat ,engraved blade with the
motto on the blade and reverse crossguard named to "Gunther
Siegfried Fhr von Maltzhan JG 53 Commander. Seiler yank in UK
blade reads "Gleams the blade,shines my Honour".Crossguard reverse reads,in flatted silver wire inserted,"GfhrvM"

Very nice. Can we have a link to see it?

Seiler,

Would love to see your dedicated 2nd pattern dagger if you have a chance.

dk,

Duden says A S S, Cassel's writes As. Go figure ...

Bill

Seiler,

Please show it. I'm sure it will be a real treat. Thanks.

don,,,
This ring started out as a blank. The work on the front was probably done with a engravers tool, or really any hard sharp piece of metal. The lines were hand carved with the tool. Usually you can see where the tool entered in and sometimes where it exited.
Rings like this can be faked. We see it all the time with 'Krim' rings. Instead if a tool carving into the metal on a fake it starts out as a wax model,,the design could be done with anything,,lets say a tooth pick. When done it gets lost wax cast and you end up with a ring that looks like it was hand done....
It is very hard to tell sometimes on a computer monitor. You need a really good camera to see the difference on a good made copy.

Update: To my surprise the ring is not magnetic. So not made from iron alloy as i thought initially.
I have checked with a loop and the hole on the back still looks like a hole. I don't see anything to make me believe it's a makers mark.
I tried to take some shots with the camera in order to see the tool marks on the obverse but they were not better than the precious ones i had taken. I will try again and see what happens. I think i must get a digital magnifier.

Hm?
I have still the opinion that this damage has a good chance to be a kind of hallmark
From the pics it looks as this ring could be silver.

odal,

I agree, it sure looks like some type of mark?

Sorry i meant previous not precious. Typo mistake