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All,

See signet ring that was recently discovered here:



On the back are these rather bizarre Hallmarks. This appears to be VERY old. Anyone have any clue as to where this comes from?



Thanks!

Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
Although of unusual form, it depicts an owl with olive branch. The symbol was widely used in Athens and its colonies in Ancient world. Replicas of items kept in museums are being sold in museum shops (e.g. Archaeological Museum in Athens). But having in mind widespread Hellenic civilization, it could be from elsewhere in Mediterranean (e.g. Alexandria, Egypt). But there is no doubt it`s a replica. Possibly Egypt.
Regards

Thanks for the input! Couple notes: This ring was found in very very close proximity to Jamestown. It is also real gold (22 K gold most likely). Would they really make a replica out of 22k gold? and is this something 16th and 17th century colonist would own?

Hello again,
Ancient jewelry was not marked.The Greek make silver gilded replicas, but solid gold is common in Egypt.
The colonist theory is exciting, but it`s only an assumption. A museum curator or a serious collector of ancient artifacts are probably needed in this case.