This may be the best find of my life and the story is not over yet: In the spirit of The Ring Finders Network, I was able to donate a significant historical piece to the local Army Corps of Engineers.
I was metal detecting in a lake for fun when I found a really old ring stamped sterling that said War of 1917 on the face. I really had no idea what I had, but when I got home I realized that I had found a ring worn by a WWI Army veteran!
I posted a picture of the ring online and a gentleman from the St. Paul Army Corps of Engineers contacted and told me how excited he and his colleagues were about the find. To make a long story short, the ring is now on display at the St. Paul Army Corps of Engineers office.
They had the ring professionally cleaned and that started a new chapter to this story. Although I had cleaned the ring with electrolysis and polished as best as I could, the cleaning at the jeweler revealed a name and a 7-digit number! The Army Corps is now working with their historian to find out who the person was and to see if the family can be located.
Here is a picture of the face of the ring and one of it sitting on display at the St. Paul Army Corps of Engineers:
4 Replies to “World War I Army Corps of Engineers ring lost in St. Paul – Now found and back with the Army Corps!”
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Very Cool! Looking forward to the rest of the story.
John
TRF-Houston
Great find! Keep us posted on further developments.
Incredible find and story Reese. A find to be truely found of!!! Like John and Mark said, please let us know the rest of the story.
Hi, had a ww1 Corp of engineers ring stolen by a common street vulcher (I attempted to lend an assist) a couple of years ago. It belongs with my grandfather’s artifacts, I still have his uniform, with last orders still in the pocket. Ring was in a small white envelope, with the name ‘David Schneider’ hand written on it, from some jewelry shop in I think Arriba Co. Was taken by 1 Brian Cox of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Mr. Brian Cox claimed to be a vet in the first desert shield on the hiway of death. However, this my war, and he was at least 15-20 years my junior, (what, he saw this Iraqi hiway and fought ((as an American))at 5-10 years old? I think not), anyway, ring had been cut into 2 peices, and belongs to my G’fathers uniform, (and family)which I now posess. Makes me sick to realize it was taken in the manner that it was, and I know it meant nothing to the thief, and in fact he probably threw it in the trash somewhere, as the pawn shops would not give much,(I don’t think) or swapped it for another hit of whatever drugs he was doing at the time.
Being at least a fifth generation vet (including really in the first Iraq conflict, and suffering damage and injury from,) please, if someone should come across it somewhere, sometime, I’m trying to track it down and recover it. I have ww1 Corp of engineers, 5th Nebraska company, etc, etc, you can publish, that no-one has ever seen as compensation.
Many thanks in advance for your lookout for this item…
Sgd, Daniel Warne, my email is listed on this site, and in fact will post my phone no. tho I never answer, please leave a message with any info. Phone is 970 545 0351. Thanks for your time.