Posted 13 years ago
Militarist
(294 items)
Now here is a rarely seen item, a military medal mounted in a finger ring. Gold coins mounted in rings are common but they are usually much smaller than this silver military medal ring measuring 21.8mm on the inside and 35mm across the top with a total weight of 56.76 grams. The medal in the ring was awarded for “Efficiency in Rifle Practice” to members of the 1st Infantry Illinois National Guard. The reverse is inscribed “THE COLONEL TAYLER E. BROWN COMPANY “A” MEDAL WON BY (name) 1912” and the maker’s name “WM. Schridde, Chicago” on the bottom. This medal must have been privately mounted in the ring at a later date. Has any one ever seen one of these medals as issued, on a ribbon I assume?
By the way Colonel Brown was a successful Chicago patent attorney who was already a Captain in the Illinois National Guard at the time of the Spanish-American War in 1898.
A ring worn by the Iola giant Cliff Thompson measured 30.7mm across the inside. Thompson was 8 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 460 pounds. Makes me wonder just how large the original owner of this ring was.
This is an unusual ring-- something I haven't seen done before with a marksmanship medal.
Thanks for sharing.