Bard crowning gifts are among the worst of any class, IMHO. Boots of divine messenger are decent, though Bards have guaranteed 7Lbs, so it's less of a perk than it might otherwise be. Nothing else there is really that exceptional. I guess Cloak of Oman is okay.
I've always wondered whether Trusted One would be worth using as an off-hand dual wield for the extra defensive characteristics. It's not quite as good as the best shields in terms of raw DV, but it has good PV and lots of nice intrinsics.
Hoping to win with every class, doomed. Archer, Barbarian, Bard, Beastfighter, Druid, Elementalist, Farmer, Fighter, Monk, and ULE Priest down.