Nick A
01-03-2011, 06:31 PM
Another detectorist on another forum tipped me off that my junk ring wasn't so junky. In fact it was a circa 1935 Babe Ruth premium ring from Quaker Cereals.
It’s fitting that Babe Ruth, the most famous player in baseball history, was the first to be honored with a sports ring. Beginning in 1934, Babe’s final season with the New York Yankees, Muffets Whole Wheat Biscuits, made by Quaker, featured Babe’s smiling face in all of its advertising, which had Ruth offering free baseball gifts in exchange for box panels from the cereal. Among the gifts were baseballs, baseball caps, watch fobs, charm bracelets, and of course, the ring. In the ad, Ruth said, You can have these swell baseball gifts absolutely FREE. Just pick out the ones you want and send me the coupon below with box panels from Muffets Whole Wheat Biscuits. Don’t wait. ACT NOW!
The promotion obviously worked very well for Muffets, since the company continued offering the gifts in 1935 and 1936. So well, in fact, that other Quaker companies such as Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice began offering the ring and other baseball gifts with box tops from its cereals. Unfortunately, the gold plated ring was generic in nature, with no mention of Ruth anywhere to be found. Pictured elsewhere in the Overstreet Toy Ring Price Guide, the ring has a baseball on the front and an embossed glove between crossed bats on each side. The same model ring with various team names etched on the baseballs were sold at ballparks throughout America. The only known Major League rings bear the names of the Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers, New York’s three Major League teams at the time. The rings with the team designations are more valuable than the Ruth ring because so many less were manufactured. There’s no doubt, however, that if The Sultan of Swat’s name appeared on the original ring, it would really command top dollar. http://www.gemstonepub.com/archive/ringguide/bballrings.html
It’s fitting that Babe Ruth, the most famous player in baseball history, was the first to be honored with a sports ring. Beginning in 1934, Babe’s final season with the New York Yankees, Muffets Whole Wheat Biscuits, made by Quaker, featured Babe’s smiling face in all of its advertising, which had Ruth offering free baseball gifts in exchange for box panels from the cereal. Among the gifts were baseballs, baseball caps, watch fobs, charm bracelets, and of course, the ring. In the ad, Ruth said, You can have these swell baseball gifts absolutely FREE. Just pick out the ones you want and send me the coupon below with box panels from Muffets Whole Wheat Biscuits. Don’t wait. ACT NOW!
The promotion obviously worked very well for Muffets, since the company continued offering the gifts in 1935 and 1936. So well, in fact, that other Quaker companies such as Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice began offering the ring and other baseball gifts with box tops from its cereals. Unfortunately, the gold plated ring was generic in nature, with no mention of Ruth anywhere to be found. Pictured elsewhere in the Overstreet Toy Ring Price Guide, the ring has a baseball on the front and an embossed glove between crossed bats on each side. The same model ring with various team names etched on the baseballs were sold at ballparks throughout America. The only known Major League rings bear the names of the Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers, New York’s three Major League teams at the time. The rings with the team designations are more valuable than the Ruth ring because so many less were manufactured. There’s no doubt, however, that if The Sultan of Swat’s name appeared on the original ring, it would really command top dollar. http://www.gemstonepub.com/archive/ringguide/bballrings.html