Panzer Skull Ring History Background

[Mark4321]

Could it be my ring is made from Zinc, not Neusilber (Nickel Silver)? I just saw a pic of an original that has a very similar color to it, metal-wise, and it was from Zinc, made towards the end of the war...

[Wagriff]

It doesn't look like zink to my eyes. Zink has a tendency over time to corrode and develop zink pest. It also can get quite dark with age and doesn't take well to a polish.

[Triggerself]

Hello dear friends, I'm Sergey and I'm the admin of ring group on Facebook.
Yes, I'm talked with Mark and telling him a little bit about stamp defects. As you can see here is 3 rings. Yes, they looks strange and looks as fake, but each ring has the same defect. Is this cast defect or stamp defect? If analyze one ring without others such ring can be recognized as fake because of "cast defects". But if analyze bunch of such rings you will see same defects at the same places on each ring. I saw the similar stamp defects on the Latvian rings (I'm Latvian items collectors and I have more than 20 Latvian rings). So little defect not always can be cast defect.

P.S Odal is right, for better result need better photos and also to find the same ring with same shank design.

[odal]

Hello dear friends, I'm Sergey and I'm the admin of ring group on Facebook.
Yes, I'm talked with Mark and telling him a little bit about stamp defects. As you can see here is 3 rings. Yes, they looks strange and looks as fake, but each ring has the same defect. Is this cast defect or stamp defect? If analyze one ring without others such ring can be recognized as fake because of "cast defects". But if analyze bunch of such rings you will see same defects at the same places on each ring. I saw the similar stamp defects on the Latvian rings (I'm Latvian items collectors and I have more than 20 Latvian rings). So little defect not always can be cast defect.

P.S Odal is right, for better result need better photos and also to find the same ring with same shank design.

Yes Sergey, i agree for me too signs of a defect die, no casting flaws, in this shown examples.

[Mark4321]

Hi guys, while I wait for my first skull ring in the mail, here some more info I found in the meantime:
Bastian Ottmann, a German collector, says the flowers on the ring 'shank'? or band are poppy flowers. Not sure that is correct, but IF SO, then here is an interesting remark by Gaspare from over on the German Daggers forum:
"they would sometimes come with red glass eyes.. And called Eastern Front ring because the Poppy was Ukraine's national flower [on sides of band.]
Really weird is,,for some reason they covered up a different pattern skull with this one shown!!


Edited by Gaspare (07/13/14 11:43 PM)

Note: Gaspare is talking about a different ring here. I can't wait for it to arrive, will post super close ups from all angles!
Mark

[Eismeerfront]

different ring in Panzertruppe-confirm!

[Mark4321]

It has arrived...
I took a bunch of photos as close up as I could get, I think they're pretty detailed. Not too sure here myself.

I think it is very clearly Die Cast, since even the band has the shape of the flowers hollow on the inside... Then again there's a funny line between the crossbones on the right (when looking at it), but it's not straight... perhaps a stamp defect?



The whole skull seems to be twisted in a crescent shape to the left, possibly when it was broken open to make it fit a larger size? If you look at the back of the band, it is obvious that the ring as not produced open, since the lines that go along the edge do not continue around the corners of the split...

The skull seems to have been painted black on the inside, and possibly the whole skull was painted black at one time? It nearly looks like there is a rest of paint here and there on the outside as well..

To me, it seems like silver, but I'm not a jeweler... definitely no hallmarks to be seen anywhere, and the whole construction is extra thin/light... but I must say the detail is VERY fine and sharp and it doesn't look cast to me at all.

When I try to open it wider to change size, it appears very elastic and very strong: doesn't bend easily at all, in spite of
the thinness of the material. But it's flexible. I will also show this to a jeweler to find out the material for certain...

OK opinions please? Authentic? Original period piece? BTW I think it looks very cool; this Skull has Character! :-)

Thank y'all,
Mark

[jamoros]

Hi Mark, I like it, by saying this I am not confirming its authenticity, having said that it s a very nice ring with a lot of character, got a very good feeling though, will wait for the others to see what they think

[odal]

For me cast without any doubts.
For me no way to be a period german original.
Sorry Mark!

[odal]

.....an forgot to post:

I would suggest to show this ring in german daggers forum to hear more opinions of the real experts Gaspare and hapur