A beggar, good karma, more silver and a puzzle

[grubstake]

Early one morning last week I was detecting a near-city beach when a male voice called out, "Hey, Mate - have you found any ten cents?" As luck would have it, there'd been quite a few so I answered "Yes" to the rather roughly dressed, scruffy-looking bloke who was approaching.

When he came up to me he asked if he could have a ten cent coin to make up the price of a cup of coffee, so I sorted through the mostly corroded finds for a spendable one, which I dropped into his outstretched hand on top of the assortment of coins that he'd pulled from his pocket. We chatted briefly about detecting, then, as he was leaving, he thanked me again and added, "I hope you find a million times worth what you gave me."

Karma being whatever it is, the next target I detected was this very tarnished but intriguing silver ring!:

Searching the events of 1642 on Wikipedia, the most significant seems to be the first English Civil War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War), which pitted King Charles I and followers (Cavaliers) against the eventually triumphant rest of England (Roundheads). I assume that the ring is modern and commemorates that war, but just what do the all mysterious little symbols signify?

I think I can make out a bridge(?), and a cat (or is it a dog?), and a flower (rose?), and a castle (or two?) and a tower(?), while the diagonal/slash might represent execution by beheading perhaps?

Hopefully some PA members are better historians than I am and can explain for me the meanings of these symbols and why somebody today might want to wear a memento of such a distant struggle.

 

[Ramjet]

Very interesting GS.

 

[Goldpick]

Great story and an interesting ring. Can you clean it up enough to see whether there are any hallmarks stamped on the inside of the ring, that may hold some good info.

 

[grubstake]

Great story and an interesting ring. Can you clean it up enough to see whether there are any hallmarks stamped on the inside of the ring, that may hold some good info.

The pics were taken AFTER I polished it hard with Silvo - the ring is severely tarnished/corroded. Inside, there's a '925' and three very tiny markings that I can't make out even under quite high magnification and so far haven't been able to photograph.

 

[Goldpick]

Older silver rings tend to have hallmarks relating the assay office, place of manufacture and the silversmith, so it doesn't sound like a modern ring - the corrosion probably indicates this as well.

 

[husky]

Wow Nice intriguing ring mate I had a quick look on the net and it seems the 925 hallmark started being used around the later part of the 19th century when england introduced the sterling standard, apparently.. maybe a hint as to its age having the 925 mark?

 

[Sandta]

Thats awesome ...Karma...
Congratulations

 

[grubstake]

Older silver rings tend to have hallmarks relating the assay office, place of manufacture and the silversmith, so it doesn't sound like a modern ring - the corrosion probably indicates this as well.

Wow Nice intriguing ring mate. I had a quick look on the net and it seems the 925 hallmark started being used around the later part of the 19th century when england introduced the sterling standard, apparently.. maybe a hint as to its age having the 925 mark?

Thanks for those comments. I'd assumed the ring was modern because it was shallow and came out of the first scoop of dry sand at the foot of some steps, so I assumed it couldn't have been there for long. I'm now starting to wonder just what I've come across - maybe there's some actual antiquity to it? It's certainly in far worse condition than any other dry or wet sand beach silver ring that I've found.

I think I'll try a bit more cleaning in the hallmarks area - those should be the key to dating it, if I can only make them legible.