Civil war ID ring!!!!
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birdman
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That is breathtaking!
thrillathahunt
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I have heard of the existence of these rings but have never actually seen one. Outstanding find!
MariahGreer
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Wow Mark that's great.... I think that it's the history that truly makes something a treasure.... so to be able to link it to someone is amazing.. 
great job
great job
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Some guy near me actually made the news after he found one of those. He returned it to the family, but that's still pretty cool! The article is on www.myfoxdc.com.
Davers
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That's cool & very coincidental. [ I just watched the link, on the D.C news about the ring the man found and gave back to the person,s 3 or 4th cousin removed tho I think it took over 5 yrs ,also cool was Whites say they will give him a new detector . & this was yesterdays story April 1, 2013.] . Now I also remember the id ring from American Digger Magazine [ thought it looked familar, tho NOT the same ring] . Still a rare and awesome find.
TheCannonballGuy
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Pardon me for giving some un-asked for but realistic advice. I advise diggers not to simply hand over personal-ID military relics to the soldier's decendants. I know from my own experience as a relic-dealer that the majority of descendants care more about the relic's dollar-value than anything else. They'll sell grandpa's personal relics to buy a TV. If you doubt it, take a look at all the personal identified WW1 and WW2 relics for sale at shows and on Ebay.
Let me make clear, I am not saying we shouldn't return a 20th-Century civilian-usage item, like an engraved wedding ring or school ring. I'm just talking about high-value Historical Military relics. (A 20th-Century soldier's dogtag is not high-value.)
If a descendant can be contacted and he/she expresses interest in their soldier ancestor's high-value personal-identified relic, I'd give him/her "first shot" at buying it. If you simply give it to them, experience shows that the odds are better than 50/50 that it'll be for sale on Ebay (or somewhere else), sooner or later. Sad, but true.
I also think the odds are better than 50/50 that Mark's personal-ID civil war soldier's ring means more to him than it would to any of Pvt. Richardson's descendants.
Let me make clear, I am not saying we shouldn't return a 20th-Century civilian-usage item, like an engraved wedding ring or school ring. I'm just talking about high-value Historical Military relics. (A 20th-Century soldier's dogtag is not high-value.)
If a descendant can be contacted and he/she expresses interest in their soldier ancestor's high-value personal-identified relic, I'd give him/her "first shot" at buying it. If you simply give it to them, experience shows that the odds are better than 50/50 that it'll be for sale on Ebay (or somewhere else), sooner or later. Sad, but true.
I also think the odds are better than 50/50 that Mark's personal-ID civil war soldier's ring means more to him than it would to any of Pvt. Richardson's descendants.
Mark1985
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- #112
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Money or the value of the ring has never crossed my mind don't think it ever will a personal Identification item from the war is something I have always dreamt of finding and the fact that I was able to learn so much an see a picture of the brave solider was an amazing bonus
Would have no issue with sending them pictures but as far as the possession of the ring it will always remain with me
Would have no issue with sending them pictures but as far as the possession of the ring it will always remain with me
Erik in NJ
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Perhaps it's just me, but I'm with Crusader on this one...I don't see any difference between this ring and an engraved wedding ring or similar. The man may have a grand-son or daughter that is still around, etc. or other direct descendents to whom this ring may have a tremendous amount of emotional value. I would contact the family to see what their thoughts are regarding the ring. If it was my father's ring (I lost my father in 1999) I would LOVE to have one of his rings back if someone found one and it would mean the world to me! Since the ring has some monetary value, I'm curious whether the property owner is aware that you found it?
The ring in in your hands and I'm obviously not telling you what to do with it, but I do admire those that go the extra mile to return items. And even in the case of the similar story that was on TV, it seems that Whites and others compensated the individual well for his kindness.
Have you considered donating the ring to a Civil War museum for others to be able to see such a fine piece of personal and tangible history? Regardless I wish you well and am not criticizing you--so please don't take any offense to my post.
Best, Erik
The ring in in your hands and I'm obviously not telling you what to do with it, but I do admire those that go the extra mile to return items. And even in the case of the similar story that was on TV, it seems that Whites and others compensated the individual well for his kindness.
Have you considered donating the ring to a Civil War museum for others to be able to see such a fine piece of personal and tangible history? Regardless I wish you well and am not criticizing you--so please don't take any offense to my post.
Best, Erik
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TheCannonballGuy
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Just so that there be no misunderstanding, let me clarify.
I myself have returned lost 20th-Century items I've found to their owner (or descendants).
At my age (mid-60s), I've also personally seen what happened to the lifelong relic-collections of quite a few digger friends and acquaintances who've passed away. They'd barely kicked the bucket before the descendants started turning the relics into money. Sometimes even the carefully written labels telling where a relic was found got discarded.
Unfortunately, it seems that darn few people nowadays care about what granddad or great-great granddad did "in the war."
So, what matters to me is getting the relics into the hands of somebody who deeply cares about their historical "meaning." Trust me that, generally speaking, a relic-digger (or collector) CARES about the relics a lot more than the average Museum staffperson. I've got personal experience in that area too. Museums (especially, governmen-owned ones) often trade or "de-accession" (meaning, sell) relics. Furthermore, museums tend to "lose" the relics (meaning, they get stolen by museum-employees). So, knowing what I know from personal experience, I've told my wife that if anything happens to me, I want her to sell all my relics to private collectors at an auction, or to one of my much-trusted longtime relic-dealer friends who will give her an honest value appraisal.
If you want your relics to be "treasured" (and very well taken care of) by their next owner, sell them to a relic-collector. Do NOT donate them to a government-owned museum. A major reason why Government-owned museum employees do not care deeply about the relics is that they didn't have to buy them with their own money.
All of the above being said... I agree with Crusader and Erik's suggestion. Contact whatever direct descendants you can find, and check whether they care about the historical information you can give them about their ancestor. If you do see genuine caring, send them photos of the ring (and the one showing Pvt. Richardson). As I've indicated in my statements above, it's all about caring, for "emotional" reasons, not just financial ones.
I myself have returned lost 20th-Century items I've found to their owner (or descendants).
At my age (mid-60s), I've also personally seen what happened to the lifelong relic-collections of quite a few digger friends and acquaintances who've passed away. They'd barely kicked the bucket before the descendants started turning the relics into money. Sometimes even the carefully written labels telling where a relic was found got discarded.
Unfortunately, it seems that darn few people nowadays care about what granddad or great-great granddad did "in the war."
So, what matters to me is getting the relics into the hands of somebody who deeply cares about their historical "meaning." Trust me that, generally speaking, a relic-digger (or collector) CARES about the relics a lot more than the average Museum staffperson. I've got personal experience in that area too. Museums (especially, governmen-owned ones) often trade or "de-accession" (meaning, sell) relics. Furthermore, museums tend to "lose" the relics (meaning, they get stolen by museum-employees). So, knowing what I know from personal experience, I've told my wife that if anything happens to me, I want her to sell all my relics to private collectors at an auction, or to one of my much-trusted longtime relic-dealer friends who will give her an honest value appraisal.
If you want your relics to be "treasured" (and very well taken care of) by their next owner, sell them to a relic-collector. Do NOT donate them to a government-owned museum. A major reason why Government-owned museum employees do not care deeply about the relics is that they didn't have to buy them with their own money.
All of the above being said... I agree with Crusader and Erik's suggestion. Contact whatever direct descendants you can find, and check whether they care about the historical information you can give them about their ancestor. If you do see genuine caring, send them photos of the ring (and the one showing Pvt. Richardson). As I've indicated in my statements above, it's all about caring, for "emotional" reasons, not just financial ones.
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MNcoinhunter
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Now THAT .. is a true banner find if there ever was one. Congratulations !!!
mical66
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i have to agree with cannonball on this ,where i can see where it would mean alot to the soilders wife or child , the worth to a grand or great grand child would be less. i do not have the expertise cannonball does with relics but in day to day life i see it , i live in a large farming comunity and have seen thousands of acres of old home places sold and turn into subdivisions.
keep the amazing find and if the family contacts you send them photos and tell them "if" you decide to sell they will have first call and i would even give them a family discount , lets face it , you respect things more if you (A) earn them (B) pay for them.
keep the amazing find and if the family contacts you send them photos and tell them "if" you decide to sell they will have first call and i would even give them a family discount , lets face it , you respect things more if you (A) earn them (B) pay for them.
bountyhuntergirl86
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OMG! I want one!
joe_dirt
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No, you're not the only one.
Mark1985
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- #119
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Like I have said of the family where to contact me ( some one said they emailed them already) I would be very happy to share photos and information on the ring and even where abouts where I dug it it is easy for every one to say they would give it back but if you had found it and were as infatuated and in love with it as me I think you would be on my side of it
Erik in NJ
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As the finder and caretaker of the ring, I'm curious if you have tried to contact the family directly yourself. I know that someone here claimed they emailed someone in the family to make them aware of this thread, but it would seem that contact from you would be the proper thing to do. Perhaps the other member will share the contact details with you or some of the brilliant researchers here can get you contact information. I think it also a win/win situation to share this find with the family. If as you state "if you had found it and were as infatuated and in love with it as me" just think about the fervent emotions the next of kin of this Civil War hero will feel once they are made aware of its existence.
