What a day! A gold ring (with date!), a 1914 Barber Dime, a 1905 liberty nickel, a 1917 wheatie and some relics...

[perdidogringo]

Hi All,

I had a couple of hours to detect after work today so I returned to the site where I found the 1837 (pre-Canada) deux sous token a couple of weeks ago. I'm glad I did! A gold ring popped out of the second hole I dug and after cleaning it I could see it had the initials "RS" on the front and 2 engravings along the inner band. The first (I believe) engraving is etched with "BDA 10k" (or possibly 18k?). The other engraving I can clearly read the date, "Feb.23,1926" but I can't make out the 3 letters right before the date. Could it be "MAR" as an abbreviation for "married"? So essentially married on February 23, 1926? What do you think?

Later in my hunt, I found a 1914 Barber dime, a 1905 liberty nickel, and a 1917 wheatie. The nickel and wheatie are pretty toasted and I was barely able to see the dates after some mild cleaning. I also pulled (what I believe to be) an old, dilapidated BB gun out of the ground and an aluminum tag for a company called "Frantz Overhead Doors and Hardware" out of Sterling, IL.

I look forward to getting back to this site soon!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[Gare]

Great finds CONGRATULATIONS on them

 

[russau]

I think if the BB gun was mine I'd want to see if that Hardware store is still there and if I could find to owners of that BB gun and give it back to them if they wanted it ! Other than that , NICE FINDS !

 

[ToddsPoint]

The ring stamping says “Pat Feb 23 1926”. BB gun is an old Daisy Red Rider. Ring, coins, relics… couldn’t ask for a better hunt!👍🏻

 

[jewelerguy]

I agree with ToddsPoint on the ring. My opinion is it's an initial ring that a person would catalog or store order with the initials of your choice. Great finds for sure!

 

[Red-Coat]

A gold ring popped out of the second hole I dug and after cleaning it I could see it had the initials "RS" on the front and 2 engravings along the inner band. The first (I believe) engraving is etched with "BDA 10k" (or possibly 18k?). The other engraving I can clearly read the date, "Feb.23,1926" but I can't make out the 3 letters right before the date. Could it be "MAR" as an abbreviation for "married"? So essentially married on February 23, 1926? What do you think?

Good piece of gold.

The ‘BDA’ mark is for Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong of Providence, Rhode Island. They were established in 1943 by Frank Budlong, Edgar Docherty, and George Armstrong as successors to the William C. Green Company and sold to Frederick L. Pratt in 1971 (but continued to operate under the BDA name until around 1977).

As @ToddsPoint says. the date on the ring says ‘PAT FEB 23 1926’, so it’s a patent date, not a marriage date. Since a patent in those days would have usually expired after 17 years, I would assume it to have been originally assigned to the William C. Green Company and used by BDA as their successor in 1943 or thereabouts.

 

[perdidogringo]

The ring stamping says “Pat Feb 23 1926”. BB gun is an old Daisy Red Rider. Ring, coins, relics… couldn’t ask for a better hunt!👍🏻

Thanks for the positive ID of the inscription! My eyes aren't what they used to be!

I agree with ToddsPoint on the ring. My opinion is it's an initial ring that a person would catalog or store order with the initials of your choice. Great finds for sure!

Thanks for the feedback! So why would someone named "Pat" get an initial ring with the letters "RS" on it?

Good piece of gold.

The ‘BDA’ mark is for Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong of Providence, Rhode Island. They were established in 1943 by Frank Budlong, Edgar Docherty, and George Armstrong as successors to the William C. Green Company and sold to Frederick L. Pratt in 1971 (but continued to operate under the BDA name until around 1977).

As @ToddsPoint says. the date on the ring says ‘PAT FEB 23 1926’, so it’s a patent date, not a marriage date. Since a patent in those days would have usually expired after 17 years, I would assume it to have been originally assigned to the William C. Green Company and used by BDA as their successor in 1943 or thereabouts.

Thanks for the feedback! Interesting stuff! Looks like Budlong, Docherty, & Armstrong has been around since 1905 according to this website: https://nasvete.com/signed-bda-vintage-costume-jewelry/ renamed from a previous business. The information at this link is a bit confusing though. They first state:

The history of the BDA jewelry brand began in Providence, Rhode Island, founded by three partners in 1943. Among them, in particular, Frank Rhodes Budlong (1889-1956), Edgar Milton Docherty (born August 8, 1883, Canada), and George A. Armstrong (b. in Cranston, RI).
Founded in 1905, Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong, Inc. was formerly known as William C. Greene Co., the oldest jewelry firm in Providence, founded in 1849 by William C. Greene.

And then they say in the next paragraph:

Renamed Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong Inc. in 1905, the company continued the glorious traditions of its predecessor.

At another link I came across, it states that the BDA makers mark was patented in 1943 (but in operation well before that date): https://www.quora.com/I-have-a-gold-ring-with-markings-BOA-What-should-I-do#:~:text=I was able to find,to get leads on this.

 

[Red-Coat]

Whatever the establishment date for the company under the formal name of "Budlong, Docherty, & Armstrong", the "BDA" mark was registered in 1943. This from the United States Trademark and Patent Office database:

 

[perdidogringo]

Whatever the establishment date for the company under the formal name of "Budlong, Docherty, & Armstrong", the "BDA" mark was registered in 1943. This from the United States Trademark and Patent Office database:

View attachment 2205306
View attachment 2205307

So why would the patent date on the ring be different from the date the mark "BDA" was patented?

 

[Red-Coat]

So why would the patent date on the ring be different from the date the mark "BDA" was patented?

As I already said, US patents in those times were usually valid for 17 years, although sometimes with the possibility of extension to 20 years. The patentee is entitled to continue using the original patent reference until expiry, so a 1926 patent could continue to be referenced as such until at least 1943.

When a company changes name or ownership, it's usual for any patents they hold to become the intellectual property of the successor business.

 

[perdidogringo]

As I already said, US patents in those times were usually valid for 17 years, although sometimes with the possibility of extension to 20 years. The patentee is entitled to continue using the original patent reference until expiry, so a 1926 patent could continue to be referenced as such until at least 1943.

When a company changes name or ownership, it's usual for any patents they hold to become the intellectual property of the successor business.

Thanks for breaking that down a little more clearly for me. Thus, if this is essentially a continuation of a patent from the original company that was filed in 1926 (according to the date on the ring), shouldn't there be a record of this original patent somewhere? The article in the link cited above stated that Budlong, Docherty, & Armstrong was "formerly known as William C. Greene Co., the oldest jewelry firm in Providence, founded in 1849 by William C. Greene. Renamed Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong Inc. in 1905, the company continued the glorious traditions of its predecessor."

I'm asking this because I am trying to narrow down the age of the ring more precisely so that I can possibly find the descendants of the person (who I assume had the initials RS) who lost it in the town I recovered it in.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Outstanding finds - congrats !

 

[Red-Coat]

Thanks for breaking that down a little more clearly for me. Thus, if this is essentially a continuation of a patent from the original company that was filed in 1926 (according to the date on the ring), shouldn't there be a record of this original patent somewhere? The article in the link cited above stated that Budlong, Docherty, & Armstrong was "formerly known as William C. Greene Co., the oldest jewelry firm in Providence, founded in 1849 by William C. Greene. Renamed Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong Inc. in 1905, the company continued the glorious traditions of its predecessor."

I'm asking this because I am trying to narrow down the age of the ring more precisely so that I can possibly find the descendants of the person (who I assume had the initials RS) who lost it in the town I recovered it in.

This may not be the exact patent (I didn’t search more extensively, after I found it) but note that it was granted on 23rd February 1926 to George A. Armstrong as assignor to the William C. Greene Company.

That is, the Greene Company was still operating under that name in 1926 and, contrary to some of the stuff you found on the internet, had not yet been renamed to "Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong." It’s clear that Armstrong was working for Greene in 1926 and ultimately took it over in partnership with Budlong and Docherty. I still believe it was in 1943 when the company actually changed name to “Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong” and registered the “BDA” mark (even if the three guys were already running the business, but not using their joint names as the business name).

 

[perdidogringo]

This may not be the exact patent (I didn’t search more extensively, after I found it) but note that it was granted on 23rd February 1926 to George A. Armstrong as assignor to the William C. Greene Company.

View attachment 2205322
View attachment 2205323

That is, the Greene Company was still operating under that name in 1926 and, contrary to some of the stuff you found on the internet, had not yet been renamed to "Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong." It’s clear that Armstrong was working for Greene in 1926 and ultimately took it over in partnership with Budlong and Docherty. I still believe it was in 1943 when the company actually changed name to “Budlong, Docherty & Armstrong” and registered the “BDA” mark (even if the three guys were already running the business, but not using their joint names as the business name).

Excellent research, thank you!

 

[BenGatesJr.2010]

Holy Moly, now that's what I call a successful day!

 

[ArfieBoy]

Congratulations on some great finds! Way to go. Thanks for sharing.

 

[cudamark]

Were you able to figure out whether it's 10K or 18K? Maybe take it to a jeweler or scrap buyer with tester? Big difference in the value percentage.

 

[perdidogringo]

Were you able to figure out whether it's 10K or 18K? Maybe take it to a jeweler or scrap buyer with tester? Big difference in the value percentage.

The consensus seems to be that it says 10k.

 

[UnderMiner]

Over all perfect hunt. Gold is so expensive now that one ring is now like finding two. 😛👍

 

[oldmxrat]

That made for an outstanding day afield, congrats!