From the beginning of time man has been fascinated and intrigued with the mystique of rings. Before the discipline of science, during the middle ages and beyond, in a world of sorcerers, wizards and witches, some believed that rings exist that possess special powers over man. Boris Karloff used a ring to bring down his victims in the famous 1933 movie The Mummy . A red ring played a major role in the 1994 film The Shadow . In baseball collecting, the Pennant and World Series rings are highly prized and are on collectors' want lists.
Price guides exist on antique rings of a generic nature and are quite popular.
It only seems reasonable that our industry should have a guide on comic related rings, both premiums and store bought. Beginning in the 1930s the premium ring was an early device given away to children to trace consumer response to various products. Cereal companies, sponsors of radio and television shows, beverage companies, food producers, movie studios, comic book companies, toy producers, sports promoters, etc. gave away many different types of premiums including rings to survey what type of products their customers were buying. At the same time, the first comic books and Big Little Books began to appear. Soon after this historic first, the famous comic strip character Little Orphan Annie got her own nationally broadcast radio show.