San Quentin State Prison silver ring ! Its #100 and its my largest silver ever !

pl8man

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San Quentin State Prison silver ring ! It's #100 and it's my largest silver ever !

What great three days of hunting ! Tonight was the topper :headbang: . I hunted with EAGLEFORCE tonight for about an hour and a half at a local school . Ryan struck GOLD right away , check out his post . I was finding quarter after quarter for a total of $10.47 ! The sun was down so we started heading back to the trucks . My last target of the hunt would be one of my best ever ! I had a +87 at one inch , I'm hoping for big silver , come on #100 ! It was #100 ring of the year and my largest ever silver ring found in 14 years ! It weighs 18.1 grams of sterling silver . The best part is it's from San Quentin State Prison ! I believe it is a inmates ring , prison made . I still can't believe the things that are found in school fields . Who wore it and why were they on the school grounds . Anyone have any ideas about this ring ?
HH
Glen
 

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Upvote 9
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pl8man

pl8man

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The history on this ring is incredible. You and Twig should write an article. You could probably sell it to a couple of different magazines.

This ring is my best silver one in 14 years ! I'll keep it forever with all my great finds !
Glen
 

PI PETE

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What a great Find!
 

deathhare

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At the prison there is a shop that sells stuff prisoners make. Wallets, belts, jewelry, etc.
The inmates make this stuff and get some of the money for it. Its a shop that anyone can visit as its outside the main gate. Ive been there and Id guess thats where this ring came from.
 

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pl8man

pl8man

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At the prison there is a shop that sells stuff prisoners make. Wallets, belts, jewelry, etc.
The inmates make this stuff and get some of the money for it. Its a shop that anyone can visit as its outside the main gate. Ive been there and Id guess thats where this ring came from.

Thanks for the info !
Glen
 

SQKellerman

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View attachment 1978article.pdf
This article can be found on the prisonbuckles.com site along with a brief history on the buckles. i am trying to get some photos of a ring made by one of the prisoners to post as well.
 

Last edited:
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pl8man

pl8man

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View attachment 661332
This article can be found on the prisonbuckles.com site along with a brief history on the buckles. i am trying to get some photos of a ring made by one of the prisoners to post as well.

Thanks for all the info on the ring ! That's what's great about T NET lots of good people with lots of good info !
Glen
 

diggummup

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This ring was made by my husband, Twig, in the 1980's. He was a jeweler and made it as part of his in cell hobby program. He made several thousand of these rings during his time there.

Joy
Kudos to Joy for chiming in and giving us the real info. on this piece of history. :thumbsup:
 

SQKellerman

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SQ Ring.jpg This ring was purchased by an employee at San Quentin in the 1980's. There are no markings in the band and the only difference I noticed was that this one was silver with gold inlay.
SQ Belt Buckle.jpg This is the belt buckle that the ring's design was taken from. Thanks for allowing me a reason to research some of San Quentin's history!
 

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pl8man

pl8man

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Mar 18, 2009
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View attachment 662246 This ring was purchased by an employee at San Quentin in the 1980's. There are no markings in the band and the only difference I noticed was that this one was silver with gold inlay.
View attachment 662247 This is the belt buckle that the ring's design was taken from. Thanks for allowing me a reason to research some of San Quentin's history!

Great pictures and info ! Thanks
Glen
 

maipenrai

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Just wondering who would be the buyer of these souvenir's, I doubt the inmates or their families would want to advertise their situation. So would it be just guards and their families? I could understand if it was closed down, and some kind of historical place. Of course its one of the few places in the US where people are executed, so maybe that is the drawing card.

Great find, anyway.
 

Mzjavert

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Just wondering who would be the buyer of these souvenir's, I doubt the inmates or their families would want to advertise their situation. So would it be just guards and their families? I could understand if it was closed down, and some kind of historical place. Of course its one of the few places in the US where people are executed, so maybe that is the drawing card.

Tourists. It's a heck of a lot more long lasting than the t-shirt.
 

SQKellerman

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Just wondering who would be the buyer of these souvenir's, I doubt the inmates or their families would want to advertise their situation. So would it be just guards and their families? I could understand if it was closed down, and some kind of historical place. Of course its one of the few places in the US where people are executed, so maybe that is the drawing card.

Great find, anyway.
The rings would have been marketed primarily to San Quentin Staff and visitors. I'm sure that other people would have purchased a ring as a keepsake or souvenir especially for someone who researched San Quentin's historical aspects such as the construction of the prison by inmates at the time, that at one time it was a men and women prison,the murals on the walls painted by the inmates ( Dining Hall mural has already been donated to the Smithsonian institute if San Quentin is to be shut down and demolished),how the inmate hobby program began, and for it being the only prison in the State of California that has an execution chamber just to point out a few!
 

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