yes emotions run high on this subject. I see the latest post by Tony. He is getting completely out of control with his answers,,,and he's supposed to be a Moderator there!!
Some things I don't understand there:
Tony thinks the HR is NOT a mass produced ring! There were close to or ,maybe even more than 20 thousand HRs made!!
20 thousand!! Twenty Thousand!. Friends/members there are many PP rings are not made in that quantity! Any manufacturer would classify it as a mass produced ring...
1. more than once he states the HR is not made mainly from silver. Maybe I read it wrong but thats how is reads to me. Years ago more than one person had the rings material tested. They all had the same results,,they are minimum of 90% silver.. Friends,,thats a silver ring to me.
2 - Tony is now to the point of saying that even PP rings were not pressed! He does have a problem. I ,,myself,,me,,OWN period ring dies including one for a famous/common WestWall ring. I have friends that own others. I've also had a interview some years ago with a German jeweler whos last name is Wilm and told me their mass produced rings were made with a die and press. Sometimes didn't even produce them but just sold the working dies.. BUT we won't get in to that now.
3- Something kept private / confidential but I don't feel like I'm letting anyone down by saying this because the person is deceased.. It was well known to a few collectors that 2 of John Peperas HRs probably weren't authentic. His HRs have been sold. Tony I understand owns one. Could it be one of the rings he had tested? Does it matter?
4. The ring in part #2.. Tony claims there is no seam. just a skull soldered on.. Problem is,,the rings the same size, same year all have a seam! His answer was something about them being resized then resized again to their full size[?] I didn't understand it then and don't now..
5. Jim M. A retired professional business man also a antiques buff to the point he is considered professional by many. Also a military collector I've know for a good 15 years now..He explained exactly how a case like Tony is trying to prove should be done. Instead of thanking him,,Tony insults him..
6. It seems like whoever disagrees with tony he insults them, is impolite, dismisses them outright, answers sarcastically etc. And,,it seems to be getting worse. Hey happens all the time on our forums,,and its up to the Moderator to correct it. Except that Tony IS the Moderator!!
7. he wants proof they are pressed. Well, there is none. I do admit something is weird there. Maybe firma Gahr used some unorthodox method,,but we don't know what.
8. So far though Tony has only proved that there is tin and other materials in the solder used for the skull.
9. He claims the skulls are hollow. They are not. I told Tony something in confidence and now I'll tell everyone. There is a private collector that has 2 fully made 2nd patten skulls. The are not hollow. They are kind of shell shaped,curved in back,. thick in the middle and thinner at the bottom and top. He completely dismissed me! and said on some of his they are hollow so they all must be hollow and they just get filled up with solder.! Actually hard to do,,but I guess they could have been clamped to keep from popping off.
10. So far I don't see where Tony shows the method of how the ring is made. He doesn't explain why the Tin is in the band. . Why his ring is one of the only few that don't have a seam.He is fixated about the imperfection in the rings he shows etc. But guys like Chris SS collector whos had a vet acquired ring for many years doesn't display some of the things Tony's rings do.
11. Ric F.,,, he deserves the trophy for being gentlemanly, polite and good tempered.
