UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories The Honor Ring Forum WEST WALL silver skull ring - opinions?

Hello my colleagues,
hope you are doing well and you are staying healthy.

Today I'm sharing a ring for your evaluation. Looking forward to read your opinions.

Viki

more photos

more photos II.

and one more ;-)

Interesting- ado do you have a ring such as this but blacked out for some reason?

Yes i have the same one.
I believe that Viki’s ring is a good one. Issue on the back top behind the skull is due to a die imo. Actually Viki’s ring has same style type maker mark which on his is hard to see but i believe it is (F*) for Frey & Co, Pforzheim. Same maker mark is on my ring.

Here is my same pattern ring with Frey & Co, Pforzheim marker mark.

Ado, thank you for the pictures ;-) If you don't mind to do some more? I'd really apprecite the inside of the skull and also a detail of the word 'West' and a cheek. Nice ring, you have! (y)

Here you go...i think that you should post some photos of the pebbles around the “Westwall” letter area around your ring, i think they are there just hard to see from those photos.

Thank you. OK. I'll post the photos when I'll have a chance to take it in a day light (y) ;-) It looks like a kind of scretch under the magnifier.

After some time I am possitive to confirm there is a letter "F*" in the hallmark but it is hard to read it even with a magnifier.

Usually the content, maker, hallmarks etc. were the last thing done upon the completion of inspection. There doesn't appear to be anything inside.
The faults on the ring and the lack of detail in certain areas for me make it a postwar piece....

Photos of the "WEST"

Hello Gaspare. Thank you for your opinion. I appreciate it.

Do I understand it correctly you are talking about this particular ring and not this TYPE of the ring (which is proven to be period) ?

I agree the ring has some flaws, that is the reason I want to hear some other opinions but I do not agree about the lack of detail. There is a nice wear in the back of the bend of the ring (especially on one leaf) which is normal with a ring which was worn (on the photo). Some of the details are quite exeptional but sadly it is hard to make better photos which could show it, but I can try. Next fact is the ring has been resized - which mean it was heated a few times in extreme temperatures and while resizing the goldsmith has to struck it to be round again... Also that part had to be polished. So, I'm just adding some thoughts...

The best would be to have photos of the same ring at least the same quality as I am sending here. Is anyone willing to share them?

I'm also sending the best photo of the hallmark I was able to take.

For now I had a few fellow collectors to check the ring beside of me. All agreed the ring is good. One of them was claming the ring is bad but after he has seen more quaility pictures he changed his opinion. But we have a saying 'More heads know more' (not sure if does make sence in English :-D ). So any thoughts are welcomed, really!

That is a nice ring and I want to believe it is genuine. My only hesitation is that it seems to be in excellent condition albeit there is obvious wear. It is certainly a known, period pattern; surely there are other examples in the large 'West Wall' thread on this forum.

I have a similar ring, albeit the dental work is not nearly as good as that on Viki's ring I wasn't sure whether to start a new thread, but since the rings are so similar, here you are.

I am pretty confident my ring is OK. There is a very faint seam where it was joined but I don't believe that the size has been adjusted. The hallmarks are quite worn and there is only so much I can achieve with an iPhone camera! The silver mark is 835 but the other two marks are very faint. The central mark is a faint letter F with what might be a crown. I have no idea what the third mark is.

Stephen

Stephen, thank you very much for adding the photos. I like your ring. It is the later model unlike mine. If I have correct information your marks are F. Frey & Co. of Pforzheim + Laurin mark. Can you check if the marks are the same like in this post's photo?
I have the same ring - found in the ground - but it is heavy worn. I'm sure about it's originality. I will send its pictures later.

What I'm looking for now are the quality photos of the earlier made ring as mine and ado's is - just with the hallmark 'F*' - just for comparation with mine.

I'm glad we can discuss here also earlier and later models of this ring pattern. There are slight differences, if I'm correct ...

Viki

Hi Viki, the marks on my ring look to be same but they are worn and discoloured with age. It is difficult to be more exact. My last picture above is the best I can do. If you zoom in, the 835 can be seen clearly but the other marks less so.

Incidentally, there is another of these rings posted here in 2008. if you go to p.21 of the Westwall Rings thread and scroll down, you will find it. Here is a link:

https://forum.germandaggers.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=181289&page=21


Cheers,

Stephen

Hello. Here are the photos of a ring where I'm sure of originality. Stephen check the marks... ;-)

I wonder if this thread should be moved to the 'West Wall rings' thread. That's probably where it belongs best.

No problem with that ;-)

Viki,,thats a good one. Nice clear hallmarks, detail to to W and W fields is correct. these are called the small head WW ring. Compare the fields of where 'WEST' and 'WALL' to the first one posted and its a big difference.


The link Spitfire shows is the big head WW ring....