Canteen WW2 ring real or fake?

[goodtimes]

hi there,
just wondering about this ring if its real or fake canteen skull ring?
It is brass and heavily worn, the original shank has been replaced and the ring has been gilded....
any theories?

[SpitfireVb]

Hmmm... This is a very worn version of a common design of Kantine rings. They are commonly faked too. I have a few skull rings but with more detail than this one. What puzzles me is, why would anyone go to the trouble of replacing the shank and gilding the face of a cheap brass ring?

[odal]

This is the so called "Gorilla"-head.
Skull and shoulders could be period of this one, but heavy worn.
Band is replaced for sure.
The original band are "bones".

[Wagriff]

It likely was a WWII-era ring but damaged or broken and someone decided to make it wearable since it was in poor condition, but as said, why they gilded just the head of it is a mystery. I, personally, see nothing wrong with having a split or cracked shank fixed, if done carefully and correctly by a professional so that nothing is altered or lost, but in this case? It's little more than a curio..

[SpitfireVb]

This is the so called "Gorilla"-head. Skull and shoulders could be period of this one, but heavy worn. Band is replaced for sure. The original band are "bones".

Hi Goodtimes,

Here are a couple of examples of the Gorilla Head ring. Note the band fashioned to look like linked bones as noted above by Odal.

[Wagriff]

Nice West Wall! I like the heavy shank on it-a fine example.

[goodtimes]

thank you all! for your help! i was wondering why they replaced the shank as well...might have been so damaged that it wasn't able to be restored....

[goodtimes]

Thanks spitfire for the pictures! Awesome rings