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This ring is interesting. The division
insignia is missing the "MOUNTAIN" tab and it is upside down! Obviously
the designer was not very knowledgeable about the 10th Mountain Division. The seller does not specifically state that it is of WWII vintage,
but he did seem to focus on the WWII phase of the division's history
in his description. It is unlikely that this dates to the WWII period.
The division was disbanded so quickly after the war that very few souvenir
items
were
made
for the division. Once the division came home from Italy, most of the
men were home on furlough or being discharged. Within two month of
returning home, the division ceased to exist. That left little time
or market for creating and selling items like this ring.
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Most likely, this ring is a post-war item
made for the veterans, in which case it probably date to the 1970s
or later when the 10th Mountain Association really became active and
began producing divisional memorabilia. It could
have also been made for the "new" 10th Mountain Division that was reactivated
in 1984. Over the past 20 years, many more men have served in the new
10th than in the original 10th, so they would be a large market for
rings such as this one. In either case, you can assume not many were
sold with the emblem upside down.
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