18k Brass Ring?

[bottlecap4u]

Revisited and 1840s permission today, wasn't happy with first day and wanted to find the old dirt I knew was there. First day was spent around the house, unfortunately nothing but fill dirt, crud and a nice 1929 taxi badge (posted that earlier). I began to look to the field beyond the house, off I went swinging and found 3 nice random drops; 1835 largie, 10 inches down, faint scratchy signal, the kind I've dug a thousand times before only to get a nail or 2. I lucked out. Nice silver tone revealed a big brass ring with the stamp 18k inside???...and finally a really cool flat button, nickel size and with a nice design, first flattie with a design for me. To round out the day an old tootsie red toy truck and another first a 'Five Winders' car toy from the 80s. On the ring, anyone else get these types of brass rings?

 

[MasonDixonMding]

Nice finds. I wonder how old the fake gold ring is? Pretty cool

 

[bottlecap4u]

Nice finds. I wonder how old the fake gold ring is? Pretty cool

ya, has some age to it, just wish the darn thing was gold, still waiting to find my first goldie.

 

[markinmichigan]

How do you know it's brass? 18k usually means gold. Other than the ring, you did extremely well with that old copper and button. Great job man and good for you. And you want to come to Detroit for finds....Going to be in Grass lake this weekend, take me with you.

Mark in Michigan

 

[KingTotsalot]

That ring might have been 18K gold plated, but it sure is not gold. When you find a goldie, you will know it! Like new shiny.

 

[bottlecap4u]

How do you know it's brass? 18k usually means gold. Other than the ring, you did extremely well with that old copper and button. Great job man and good for you. And you want to come to Detroit for finds....Going to be in Grass lake this weekend, take me with you.

Mark in Michigan

Rang up solid silver tone, certainly not gold nor silver, copper vmi is lower, brass rings up like silver, so as Sherlock H. says, eliminate the obvious, whatever remains must be the answer. Weekends not good for me as I care for my wife on weekends as she has early onset dementia, i have help during the weekdays, so am free any day during the week. If you have a place we can go, any weekday is good for me Mark. Love to take a day trip!

 

[OBN]

I'm going to say its early 1900s? Have you scraped the ring to see if it is yellow like brass? I've got several brass rings from the early 1900's, none were marked. I also have one that is stamped 18 than a crown. But its a super thin inter gold ring, with a chunky outer brass vermeil. Guessing the person that bought it, never knew?

Back than it was common to have silver cigar band, with a gold vermeil outer.. which it is a thin layer of gold. Like todays gold plating. Be interesting to know what metal yours is..

Many had little money to buy gold rings, and if they did their was a good chance they put some kind of ID inside the band, like a wedding date, a gift to or from.. etc.

 

[bottlecap4u]

I also have one that is stamped 18 than a crown.

ya, I got this one earlier this year. As for the one I posted, scraped it, its either copper or brass, but it did ring up high like brass. All the wedding bands I've gotten from homesteads are copper or brass thus far. the below ring was pulled from an old schoolhouse yard.

 

[GroundSweeper]

That largie and button are super cool. I kinda like the "18k" ring too - as a relic. Great finds.

 

[Cherry Picker]

I had the same last year. About 10" deep I got a good coin hit on the E-Trac and pulled out this big ring. I knew it was bling but when I got it home and cleaned it I saw the 18K stamp. Pretty sure it is old because of the coins I find at the park at this depth.

Cleaned

 

[Cfmct]

How do you know it's brass? 18k usually means gold. Other than the ring, you did extremely well with that old copper and button. Great job man and good for you. And you want to come to Detroit for finds....Going to be in Grass lake this weekend, take me with you.

Mark in Michigan

Back in day they marked a lot of jewelry with a hallmark but it was brass... I have a ring marked 18k with real rubies but its a 100% brass...

 

[cellrdwellr]

Yep I've found a fair share in my area as well. My theory is they were mostly sold at fairs and carnivals where people could be easily fooled by all the surrounding distractions. Not to mention brass looks very similar to gold all polished up. The tell tale sign for me is the weight. Gold is much more dense than brass. Excellent digs!

 

[bottlecap4u]

my best junker thus far, found just off the front door of demolished 1890s home last fall. It's light, like the swirl design and can still see a bit of the (gold?) trim.

 

[Cherry Picker]

Yep I've found a fair share in my area as well. My theory is they were mostly sold at fairs and carnivals where people could be easily fooled by all the surrounding distractions. Not to mention brass looks very similar to gold all polished up. The tell tale sign for me is the weight. Gold is much more dense than brass. Excellent digs!

I found 7 brass rings at an old carnival site from the early 1900s. I believe they were prizes. Here shows how polished brass can look a lot like gold. A before and after picture of the same ring.