Vintage USMC Semper Fidelis Sterling Silver Ring Marine Motto & Device EGA for Sale

On eBay Now...

Vintage USMC Semper Fidelis Sterling Silver Ring Marine Motto & Device EGA For Sale

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Vintage USMC Semper Fidelis Sterling Silver Ring Marine Motto & Device EGA:
$45.00

Vintage THANKS MARINES Sterling Silver Ring Bearing The Motto & Device of the United States Marine Corps EGA

This nicely crafted sterling silver finger ring commemorates the sacrifice of the survivors of an infamous tragedy in US Marine Corps history. The outside of the silver ring is bounded on each edge by a traditional nautical rope. In the center of the band are the words SEMPER FIDELIS, a relief of the United States Marine Corps eagle, globe and anchor device, and two 5-pointed stars. The inside of the band is marked THANKS MARINES FROM HOKY 1984 925S.

Ninety-eight of these rings were given to the USMC and distributed to Marine and Navy survivors of the bombing of an American barracks in Lebanon in October 1983 in which over 200 died. The number 925S establishes that the metal the ring is made of is composed of a minimum of 925 parts per 1000 parts of genuine silver (what Americans usually call “sterling”), and is the common marking method jewelers use to show metallic content of items they make in Europe and the Middle East. The inside diameter of the ring measures 13/16th of an inch or 20 millimeters (US size 10). The band is approximately 6 mm wide.

Because there are plenty of people out there that are perfectly willing to pass judgement on things they know nothing about, we’ve decided to add the history of this ring as we are able to prove it. This ring is genuine and we do know quite a bit about the history of it. In the late 1980s we acquired the assets of a small company, the Hamilton Company of suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota, which had sold the original lot of these rings to a Minneapolis company called HOKY International. It was HOKY International that donated the rings to the US Marine Corps to be dispersed among the families of US Marines killed or wounded in Lebanon in the 1983 bombing. In the paperwork we got with the purchase of Hamilton Company, we have copies of the letter donating the rings and an original response from a US Marine Corps General saying thanks, and that they would disperse the rings.

Hamilton Company sold the great bulk of the ring lot to HOKY International which donated them to the Marines, but retained a small quantity of rings for reasons of their own. When we bought the company, we got those rings along with a great deal of other miscellaneous inventory, their correspondence files, etc. The (one) ring we offer here IS ONE OF THE RINGS we got in the purchase of the Hamilton Company.

Have a look at other US Marine Corps collectibles in our store!

CONDITION: unused, undamaged condition.

QUESTIONS: we do not accept returns so if you have any questions about this ring, be sure to ask before you click the Buy It Now button, NOT after you have purchased the item. You are responsible for reading the full item description, including shipping costs and accepted payment methods.

SHIPPING: this ring will be shipped in a sturdy mailer and we are happy to combine shipping of multiple items. We will refund overpayment of postage as soon as a combined order has been shipped.

FOREIGN BUYERS: we ship to most foreign countries at additional cost, however all foreign customers are responsiblefor any VAT payments, import duties and customs clearing fees. International buyers are required to submit their telephone number along with their shipping address.

DELIVERY: we photograph every parcel we ship by USPS or by the public carrier specified by the buyer. We e-mail that photo and any applicable tracking number to the buyer as proof of mailing or shipping. Delivery responsibility is then in the hands of the USPS or of any other public carrier selected by the buyer, and does not involve Rapidapolis in any way. Communications about, and responsibility for the delivery to the buyer must be between the buyer and the public carrier, and can not include Rapidapolis on .

RETURNS: because of ’s approach to returns nowadays we no longer represent anything as being suitable for use for any specific purpose. We sell everything as a surplus curio or relic “as is-where is”, with no implied or other warranties of any kind given, and which may or may not be useful for its original or intended purpose. What you see is what we have photographed and what we will ship.

RAPIDAPOLIS has a long history of selling on since 1999, and of customer satisfaction with the items we sell and with our shipping. We encourage buyers to examine our listings carefully, review our many thousands of responses and buy with confidence.