Can anybody help me with some advice or information on a ring that belonged to my father, Alan GOODYEAR? Last week my mother gave me my late father's ring which he has always worn and I believe it belonged to my grandfather before him. I have my suspicions that it may in fact have gone back one generation further to my gt-grandfather. There are no initials inside the ring however there are a series of small boxes/rectangles with letters etc in them which may help in the identification it reads as follows: NB .375 (then a small picture of an anchor) then either a letter B or the number 6. The front of the ring has an anchor on it with twists of rope, and it looks to be gold. I know my grandfather, Ron was in the RAF and wonder why he would have had an anchor on his ring, however his father Thomas GOODYEAR was at one point a Stoker and that makes more sense to me. Can anyone suggest where I could look, who I could ask or what I can do to find out more? Does anyone know what the numbers/letters mean? Are there any websites that would be of help? If it helps I can send a scan of the ring to anyone who may be able to tell me more. Many thanks Jo South Australia

Jo, Go to your local library and get a book of English Hallmarks - all silver and gold is hallmarked and each of those little boxes will identify the maker, where it was assayed and the date it was made/assayed. From you description it would be impossible to check as the shape of the boxes alter depending on the area and date so do the letters, they can be plain or gothic script etc. So get the book and a good magnifying glass!! Moya Page (nee Banting) researching BANTING and PERREN in Hampshire ----- Original Message ----- From: Jo Challis To: HAMPSHIRE-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 1:29 AM Subject: [HantsLife] Jewellery Help Needed Can anybody help me with some advice or information on a ring that belonged to my father, Alan GOODYEAR? Last week my mother gave me my late father's ring which he has always worn and I believe it belonged to my grandfather before him. I have my suspicions that it may in fact have gone back one generation further to my gt-grandfather. There are no initials inside the ring however there are a series of small boxes/rectangles with letters etc in them which may help in the identification it reads as follows: NB .375 (then a small picture of an anchor) then either a letter B or the number 6. The front of the ring has an anchor on it with twists of rope, and it looks to be gold. I know my grandfather, Ron was in the RAF and wonder why he would have had an anchor on his ring, however his father Thomas GOODYEAR was at one point a Stoker and that makes more sense to me. Can anyone suggest where I could look, who I could ask or what I can do to find out more? Does anyone know what the numbers/letters mean? Are there any websites that would be of help? If it helps I can send a scan of the ring to anyone who may be able to tell me more. Many thanks Jo South Australia ==== HAMPSHIRE-LIFE Mailing List ==== Please use common sense when sending or replying to messages on the list. What may not offend you may offend others. Please do not send virus warnings, or other matetial not relevant to Hampshire and its history. ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

Hello, Take your ring to a reliable antiques dealer, auctioneer or goldsmith and ask him/her to read the Assay or hallmark. (They will make a charge) The Assay or hallmark is the series of lozenges and shields with letters etc. inside the ring. The anchor mark denotes that it was made in Birmingham, but there should also be a lion passant in front of it. If the letter "b" is lower case inside a squared off shield then it is possibly 1799-1800, if upper case inside a similar shield then 1774-5. Each year up to the present has a different letter and slightly different style of lettering font and shield, and this dates the ring exactly. For example, an uppercase italic A denotes year 1975. (20th century). The other letters denote the weight (carat) of the gold used, and also the maker of the peice. .375, I think, is 9carat, .916 being 22 carat. If I have got the years right from your description, then the maker could be someone like Matthew Boulton whose mark was MB (uppercase)inside an oblong lozenge. Without seeing the item it is difficult to be completely accurate, so get someone to look at it for you, if only for insurance purposes. Yours, Vicki Turner Hope this helps Vicki Turner